I'm Sorry I Can't Be Perfect
by Black Burning Chaos
Summary: COMPLETED -Prequel to Rose Truscott- Learn about Rose and her life before she moved to Malibu and before she got abused. See what Lilly’s life was like before Rose came. Twin problems come in two’s you know.
1. Lilly Truscott

**I'm Sorry I Can't Be Perfect**

**Summary-Prequel to Rose Truscott Learn about Rose and her life before she moved to Malibu and before she got abused. See what Lilly's life was like before Rose came. Twin problems come in two's you know.**

**-**

**A/N: In this fic, I'll be doing the first chapter in Lilly's P.O.V, the second in Rose's P.O.V, the third in Lilly's and so on. So, you'll get both sides of the story.**

**-**

**Chapter One-Lilly Truscott**

_You see the three friends over there, walking and laughing. Two are girls and one is a boy. Yeah, that's me and my friends. I'm the one in the middle with the long blond hair and green eyes._

_My name is Lillian 'Lilly' Truscott._

_The girl on my right with the dark brown, kind of curly, hair and green eyes is my best friend._

_Her name is Miley Stewart._

_The boy on my left with the bowl cut dark brown hair and brown eyes is my other best friend._

_His name is Oliver Oaken._

_I know what you're thinking. How can two girls and a boy be best friends without any sexual attachments? Well, its simple. If two of us dated and then broke it off, our friendship would never be the same. And, we don't want that to happen._

_So anyway, we were on our way to Rico's, a kind of cabana on the beach. All the teens go there. It's like the hippest place. Plus, Miley's older brother Jackson works there and he can give us food with a discount._

_I know, that's real sweet. _

_But, this is the one trip to Rico's that's going to change out lives forever…_

"Hey, Jackson" Miley greeted her brother as she, Oliver, and I grabbed three stools and sat on them.

"Hey Miles, Lilly, Oliver. What can I get for you?" Jackson asked, tuning around to face us.

"I'll take Buffalo wings and an orange smoothie" I replied. Man, I loved that combination.

"Make it two" Oliver replied.

"Three. Only, I'd like a strawberry smoothie" Miley replied, getting comfortable in her seat.

"Coming right up" Jackson replied with a nod. As he got out of ear shot I turned to Miley.

"How cool is it that Jackson works here? I mean, free food! Who could not love that?" I asked, my eyes shinning.

"I know. Isn't it great?" Miley asked with a big smile.

"I don't know. I think they need to start selling nachos here or something" Oliver said, jumping into the conversation. Miley and I gave Oliver a look.

The three of us have been best-friends with each other since a couple months ago when Miley first moved in. We're in the eighth grade at Seaview Middle School.

In these few months, Oliver and I have learned a lot about Miley. The number one, ultra coolest thing, is Miley is Hannah Montana! I know, I couldn't believe it at first either. But, it's the truth. Plus, I am Hannah's best friend, Lola Lufnagle…or however you pronounce her last name.

"What?" Oliver asked innocently.

"Nothing, never mind" I replied as Jackson came back with out orders.

"Thanks Jackson" Oliver and I said in unison as Jackson put the plates and drinks down in front of us. Miley reach for hers, but Jackson pulled it away.

"Jackson!" Miley cried, banging the counter with her fists.

"I'll give this to you guys for free but on one condition" Jackson replied with a smirk. _There's_ the Jackson I know and love.

Wait! _I didn't mean it that way_! I'm _not_ in love with Jackson Stewart!

"Name it" Miley said as her stomach growled. "I'm starving."

"You have to wash my gym clothes for a month _and_ give me some of your-"Jackson trailed off and looked around. The next words he whispered. "Hannah money for some things I want to buy."

"Don't do it" Oliver warned.

"Yeah, it's not worth it. Jackson, you're being a jerk!" I spat.

"Hey, I'm just doing this because I have been doing _lots_ of things for Miley and _never_ getting a 'Thank you.' So, Miles, what'll it be?" Jackson asked tantalizing Miley with the plate and drink.

"Fine" Miley spat through clenched teeth. "_Thank you_ for the food Jackson."

"No problem…Cinderella" he replied, his smirk growing bigger before he walked off.

"Man! Jackson and his _stupid_ ego!" Miley said, seething with anger.

"You shouldn't have agreed to it" Oliver said through a mouthful of buffalo wings. I flinched as bits of mashed buffalo wing hit me in the face.

"Yuck" I groaned, grabbing a napkin and wiping at my face.

"Speaking of disgusting things"

The three of us turned and saw Amber and Ashley, the 'most popular' girls in our class, walking towards us.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Why would you eat that Lilly? You're getting curves in all the wrong places" Amber said with a little laugh. I raised my eyebrow as I looked at them.

'_Are they calling me fat_?' I thought to myself.

"You might want to watch all the calories you inhale" Ashley added. "Maybe you should start skateboarding more often?"

"Cut it out you guys" Miley said, getting to her feet, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Yeah, Lilly's not fat" Oliver replied. "You're just so insecure about your own problems you have to make fun of other people to feel better."

It was great to have friends like them. But, why would Amber and Ashley call me fat? I'm not fat. I think I look great.

'_Just ignore them, Lilly. They're wrong and you have friends to hang out with_' I thought, biting my lower lip.

"Why don't you guys just go home and squeeze your foreheads. I see pimples starting to show" I said, pointing at their foreheads.

"EWWWWW" Amber and Ashley yelled in unison and rushed off.

"Thanks guys" I said, staring after Amber and Ashley.

"No problem" Miley said, her eyes narrowed in anger.

"Yeah, we've got your back. Don't worry" Oliver said, smiling his cute smile.

Wait! _Cute smile_? Why'd I think that?

"Aw, you guys are the best" I said, laughing.

"I know. We are" Miley and Oliver said as they put their arms around me.

"Come on you guys. Dad is making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. You guys can stay for dinner" Miley said as she grabbed her strawberry smoothie.

I reached for my orange smoothie but Oliver grabbed it first and handed it to me, smiling. He held it out to me and I took it, smiling. But, I felt a tingling sensation when my fingers grazed his. What in the world was going on?

"Yeah, thanks" I said, staring at my feet.

"No problem. I'll walk you guys over to Miley's I have to get on home. Sorry, I can't stay for dinner" Oliver replied as we started towards the Stewart household.

"It's ok, Ollie" Miley replied, chewing on her straw.

"it won't be the same without you though" I replied.

"Well, this way, you can talk about girly stuff without me there. Besides, the Victoria's Secret swimsuit edition magazine came out" Oliver replied with a lopsided smile.

Miley and I laughed and slapped him repeatedly. He laughed and covered his head with his arms.

"That's just like you. All you guys drool over models" Miley replied.

"Not just models. Hot looking, skinny, curvaceous models" Oliver replied, rapidly raising and lowering his eyebrows.

"You're sick!" I said laughing.

"Well, we're here. See you alter Oliver" Miley said. She gave a wave and entered her home.

"Later, Ollie" I said with a laugh. Oliver waved and headed home, whistling.

I spotted the new Victoria's Secret magazine on the table and looked at the cover. The model on the front _was _skinny. And very beautiful.

'_I wish Oliver would look at me the same way he looks at them_' I thought with a sigh. "Where did that thought come from?" '_Well, he does like skinny girls and Amber and Ashley noticed I was a little overweight. Maybe I should lose a few pounds_.' "Maybe Oliver will like me then."

"What'd you say?" Miley called form the kitchen.

"Nothing. I didn't say anything" I replied.

I dropped the magazine and my eyes widened. I think…I think I'm falling in love with Oliver.

My best friend, Oliver Oaken.

Not just my best friend.

My _cute_ best friend…


	2. Rose Truscott

**Chapter Two: Rose Truscott **

****

_You see that girl getting jumped up and down on by those twin boys? Yeah, that's me. My name is Rosealyn Truscott. But, everybody calls me Rose. _

_Those two boys that are jumping up and down on me, in the most painful way I must add, are my identical twin brothers, Leon and Liam Hazel (5). _

_I was adopted by the Hazel family when I was still a baby. I don't know who my real parents are, nor do I care. I love the family that I'm a part of right now. Especially, my little brothers. They're so adorable. _

"Rosealyn! Rosealyn, wake up!"

"Guys, stop jumping on me. I'm tired and I want to sleep" I moaned. I heard my brothers giggle as they continued to jump up and down on me. "Boys, please stop."

"Rosealyn, wake up!"

_Plus, Liam and Leon are the only ones allowed to call me Rosie or Rosealyn. _

"Please go away. I'm trying to sleep" I repeated.

"But, Rosie, we want to play" Leon said in a sad voice. I pulled the blanket off my head and stared at my brothers.

_They were identical twins with dimples in their cheeks. Their dimples seemed to be constantly there. They both have white hair that falls into their dark blue eyes. Leon is older than Liam by five minutes. Even though they're identical, they do have their differences. _

_For example, Leon is calmer than Liam, Leon likes to skateboard while Liam likes to rollerblade, and Leon likes to draw people, while Liam likes to draw animals. When it comes to sports and drawing, the two of them are extraordinary for such young boys. _

"You're waking me up to play? Why don't you get mom to play with you?" I asked.

"She went out of town" Leon replied.

"Again?" I asked with a groan. "Well, what about-"

"Daddy dropped mommy off at the airport and then, he's going to work" Liam replied.

"He'll be home late" the two of them concluded.

"So, that leaves me here with two little monsters" I replied, with a sigh.

"Yeah, we're the little monsters!" they cheered and started tickling me in the ribs. I laughed and sat up, pushing their hands away.

"OK, ok. I'm up. Go on downstairs, I'll be there in a minute" I replied, mussing their hair. I felt Liam and Leon slide off my bed and pad out of the room.

I slid out of bed and brushed my blonde hair out of my green eyes. I pulled my hair into pig tails and pulled a light purple snow cap on top. I pulled on my black vans, dark blue baggy jeans, and a dark purple tank top.

That's right, I'm a skater chick.

I rushed downstairs and into the kitchen to start breakfast. I saw Leon and Liam in the backyard on the half pipe. They couldn't get enough of skating. I smiled as I listened to their shouts of joy.

"I told you I smelled bacon."

"Honestly, all you think about is food."

I looked up and smiled at my two best friends, Sasha Holloway and Blake Mulliver. I looked at the piece of bacon that was hanging out of Blake's mouth and rolled my eyes. Blake was constantly eating something.

_The three of us have been best friends since the first grade. My assigned seat was at their cluster of desks. We've been inseparable ever since. Sasha's the wild one that never thinks things through, Blake is the sensitive and calm one, and I'm the sarcastic rebellious one. _

"You should thank me for keeping you alive this long. Without me, you wouldn't have any snacks to eat" I said, shaking my head.

"I know. I love you for it, too" Blake replied with a grin. I exchanged looks with Sasha as a smile fought its way to my face.

"Where are the 'rents anyway?" Sasha asked as I walked over to the stove to scramble some eggs.

"My mom's out of town and my dad went to work" I replied.

"Your parents are out a lot" Sasha commented.

"Don't I know it" I replied, rolling my eyes. I poured the eggs into a bowl and put biscuits on a pan and put it into the oven.

"Isn't your mom a lawyer?" Blake asked, chewing on his third piece of bacon.

"Part time. She's a part time nurse also" I replied turning back to my friends. "Touch that piece of bacon and I'm not feeding you at school anymore."

"Whoa! Threatening him with food is low, man" Sasha said, putting his hands up defensively.

"Whatever" I replied, rolling my eyes.

"So, what are your plans for today?" Blake asked.

'_Besides, getting dad to bed as soon as he gets home, drunk?_' I thought, setting my jaw. "Nothing really. Just watching my bros" I replied, grabbing a piece of bacon. "Why?"

"No reason" he replied quickly. "Want to go to the park? We can take your brothers with us."

"I think he's trying in his own way to ask you out, Rose" Sasha teased, punching Blake on the shoulder.

"No I'm not!" Blake cried, his cheeks turning red.

"Suuuure" Sasha replied, rolling his eyes.

I laughed and walked over to the sliding door to the backyard. I pulled it open and stuck my head out.

"Liam! Leon! Breakfast is ready!" I called.

"Woohoo!" Liam and Leon yelled, slapping each other high fives and skating into the house.

"Get off them" I said sternly, walking back to the oven.

"Aw, Rosie" Leon and Liam whined as they got off their skateboards and headed over to their seats at the bar. "Give us a break. Mommy and daddy aren't here."

"Don't 'Aw, Rosie' me! You know the rules" I replied, pulling the tray of biscuits out of the oven. I set them down on a cooling rack.

"Chillax, Rose. They're just kids that want to have fun" Sasha said with a lopsided grin.

"Well, yeah. But, I've been on baby-sitter duty far more than mom and dad have watched them and I guess I turned into another mom" I replied, biting on my thumbnail.

"That's not a bad thing. I think you'd make a great mom" Blake said quietly, looking up at me. I felt my cheeks grow hot.

'_Damn it. Why am I blushing_?' I thought to myself. I looked into Blake's green eyes and felt a wave of comfort wash over me. Only he could do that.

"You aren't going to kiss are you?" Leon asked, pulling a face.

"What if we did?" I asked with a smirk as I grabbed a piece of bacon and bit into it.

"EWWWWW" Leon and Liam cried with a shudder. "That's disgusting."

"What are you talking about? You give her a peck on the lips every morning" Sasha said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, that's different" Leon replied after taking a big gulp of grape juice. He got a purple mustache on his top lip.

"Yeah, we're related to her" Liam agreed.

"It's not different" Sasha replied.

"Is too" Liam and Leon replied in a whining tone.

"Is not" Sasha replied in the same whining tone.

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is"

"Isn't"

"Guys! Cut it out! You're acting like five year olds" Blake said impatiently.

"We are five" Liam whined.

"And cute five year olds too" I replied and kissed them on the cheek. "Hurry up and eat. We're going to the park."

-

"Ok, boys. Go on up to bed" I said, pushing my tired looking brothers towards the stairs.

They spent the whole time at the park, skateboarding and drawing pictures. Then, the five of us went to get lunch and walked around town for a while, looking at the sites. We then got fast food for dinner and went back to the park to play tag. The twins crashed underneath a park bench, sound asleep.

"But, we're not tired" Liam protested, failing to stifle a yawn.

"Go on. I'll be up to read you a story soon" I replied with a little laugh.

"OK" Leon said in a tired voice. He and Liam headed up the stairs, their heads bent towards the ground.

I smiled to myself and sat down on the couch. Dad should be home soon, drunk as usual. He always went out to get drunk whenever mom went out of town. I told her about it, but she hasn't done anything about it yet. At least not that I know of.

I jolted awake as I heard the front door open. I wrinkled up my nose and winced. I could smell the beer from where I was sitting. I rushed to the front door and grabbed onto my dad's arm as he stumbled into the room.

He laughed as he tripped over his feet. I sighed heavily when I saw his bloodshot eyes. My knees buckled as he put all his weight on my shoulders.

"Ugh. Dad, why do you have to do this every time mom goes out of town?" I demanded as I headed towards the stairs.

I gasped as I felt his hands rest on my side and push me away from him. I stumbled and fell into the coffee table, hitting my arm. I stared up at my dad in shock.

"Rose. Rose, baby, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I'm really sorry" dad said, his words slurred as he stumbled over to me.

"I-it's ok, dad. I know you didn't mean it" I said once I found my voice.

I took his arm again and helped him up the stairs and into his room. I helped him towards his bed and he collapsed onto it. He was out cold. I shook my head and pulled a blanket over him.

"Good night dad."

I left the room and went into the twins' room. They were lying in their beds, trying to stay awake. I laughed lightly.

"If you guys are tired, just go to sleep" I said, brushing their hair out of their eyes.

"No, we want to hear a story" they whined, hugging their blankets.

"OK. OK" I said as I pulled up a chair and sat in between their beds. I pulled a book off the bookshelf, opened it, and started to read.

'_I hope they stay like this. So sweet and carefree_' I thought as I read.

_Little did I know, this one incident would change our lives forever…_


	3. Lilly's Diet Begins

**Chapter Three: Lilly's Diet Begins**

"Mmmmm. That spaghetti smells great, dad" Miley said as she and I sat down at the dinner table.

"Thanks, bud. Just make sure you get enough before Lilly eats it all" Miley's dad, Robbie Ray, replied with a little laugh. I felt my cheeks grow warm. I'm a sucker for Mr. Stewart's spaghetti. I would have seconds, thirds, and sometimes fourths. It was that good.

"Hey, I can't help it if you make great spaghetti and meatballs" I said with a laugh as I put the spaghetti on my plate and drowned them in meat sauce and parmesan cheese.

"I'm glad you like them, Lilly" Mr. Stewart replied.

"No problem, Mr. S" I replied with my mouth full. Miley gave me a look of disgust but laughed anyway.

"Lills, what do you want to do tomorrow afternoon? I have a Hannah thing at night so we have the whole afternoon" Miley asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"How about the be-" I stopped in the middle of my sentence, thinking about what happened with Amber and Ashley today. "The mall? I need a new skateboard deck and pads."

"Sounds good to me" Miley replied. "You think Oliver would want to come?"

My heart skipped a beat at the sound of his name. OK, I admit it. I was crushing hard on him. I tried to sound casual when I replied.

"Yeah, that'd be cool" I said with a nod. Miley gave me a suspicious look but I adverted my gaze to my plate.

'_Don't eat too much Lilly. You're starting your diet today remember? Oliver will like you more after you lose a few pounds_' I thought as I pushed the spaghetti around my plate.

"Everything ok, Lilly?" Mr. Stewart asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind. Where's Jackson?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"He's out with his new 'girlfriend' "Miley said, putting air quotes around girlfriend. "I honestly don't know what girls see in him."

"I've been trying to figure that out for years" Mr. Stewart replied shaking his head.

-

_Now Walk It Out  
Now Walk It Out  
Now Walk It Out  
Now Walk It Out  
Now Walk It Out  
Now Walk It Out  
Now Walk It Out  
Now Walk It Out_

West Side Walk It Out  
South Side Walk It Out  
East Side Walk It Out  
North Side Walk It Out

_Now Walk It Out_

_Now Walk-_

"Hello?" I said, answering my phone. "Lil-ay here."

"Hey, Lills, it's Oliver."

"_Oliver_" I nearly yelled into the phone.

"Hold on a second, I think you blew out my ear drum" Oliver joked. I blushed, thankful he couldn't see me.

"Sorry about that. So, what's up?" I asked, leaning back against my pillows.

"Not much. I'm bored and I just wanted to talk" Oliver replied.

"Well, why not call Miley?" I asked with a shrug as I picked up a skateboard magazine. Ryan Sheckler was on the cover. He's so hot. But, not as hot as Oliver.

"Because she'll be talking about Jake Ryan and how much she _doesn't like him_ and I'll get all annoyed" Oliver replied, putting emphasis on 'doesn't' and 'like'. I giggled.

"So why call me?" I asked.

"Because we can talk about sports and anything personal because we've been best friends for as long as I can remember. If I told Miley anything, she'd go all crazy" Oliver said with a laugh. I laughed too.

"Yeah, that's Smiley Miley. So, what can I help you with?" I asked, putting down the magazine.

"Well. . .I like this girl. But, she's not like any other girl I've met. She's nice, funny, smart, but into different things then what girls like" Oliver replied.

'_Oh my god. He's talking about me. Wait, he might not be. But, he totally described me so it must be me_' I thought excitedly. But, what I said into the phone was, "Go on, I'm listening."

"Yeah, and I'm not sure if she likes me back. I'm too afraid to ask her out just in case she thinks I'm weird or something" Oliver replied.

"I'm not _that_ good with advice like this but. . .leave her some notes in her locker. Get into small conversations with her and see how things go" I replied.

"Thanks Lills. You're the best. Uh-"

"Was there anything else?" I asked.

"Miley told me you only ate one plate of spaghetti at her house tonight. Is something wrong? Normally you would almost eat the whole thing before anyone else could get some" Oliver said. He sounded concerned. I forced a laugh.

"I'm fine Ollie. I just got a lot on my mind. You know, school, skateboarding, being Lola" I replied.

"As long as you're ok. I gotta go. Thanks for the advice Lills" Oliver said.

"No problem, Smokin' Oken. I'll call you tomorrow" I replied with a smile.

I hung up and tossed my phone to the end of my bed. I closed my eyes and went to sleep, thoughts of Oliver filling my mind.

-

"Morning, Lilly" mom said as I headed downstairs the next morning.

"Morning mom" I replied, pulling my favorite purple snow cap on my head.

"Have some breakfast" mom replied, motioning to the stacks of pancakes and waffles on the table. There was sausage, bacon, maple syrup and strawberries too.

"No thanks. I'm going to the mall" I replied, grabbing my skateboard and heading to the front door. "I'm meeting Miley and Oliver and I'm running late."

"Eat something sweetie" mom pressured. I stepped out the front door and looked back at her. I sighed heavily and grabbed a piece of bacon.

"I'll get something else at the mall. Love you mom, bye" I replied, rushing down the stairs and towards the mall. I looked at the piece of bacon in my hand and tossed it into the bushes.

'_Remember Lilly, you're trying to lose weight so Oliver will notice you_' I thought as I stared longingly after it. . .


	4. Rose's Pain Begins

**Chapter Four: Rose's Pain Begins**

"The end" I said and set down the book.

I laughed to myself. Leon and Liam were trying their hardest to keep their eyes open. They really were cute. They scrunched up their noses and let out a big yawn. I laughed and got up from the chair.

"Read it again" Leon whined.

"Please" Liam added.

He gave a weak attempt at the puppy dog pout. I laughed and walked over to him. I kissed him on the forehead and tucked him in. I did the same with Leon.

"Sorry, guys. But, I'm really tired" I replied with a small smile.

"Awww" they whined in unison. I turned off the lamp that was sitting on the dresser and headed to the door. " 'Night Rosie."

" 'Night boys" I replied and closed the door. I took two steps down the hall and sighed heavily when I heard the boys' whimper. I opened the door again and crouched down to the outlet. "Sorry, I forgot." I picked the night light up off the floor and put it in the outlet so the light filled the corner of the room.

I left the room once again and then went to find my dad. I went into his room and gagged at the smell. Dad was awake. . .and puking his guts out.

"Not another hangover" I whispered, slapping my forehead. "Dad, why do you do this to yourself?"

Hangover: _Noun-__the disagreeable physical aftereffects of drunkenness, such as a headache or stomach disorder, usually felt several hours after cessation of drinking_

I went into the kitchen and grabbed a bucket and washcloths from underneath the sink. I grabbed a bottle of soap and air freshener also.

"Melody, I feel awful" dad moaned.

"Mom's not here, remember" I replied impatiently as I positioned the bucket underneath dad's head. Dad looked up at me to say something, but his body shook in another spasm. He stuck his head in the bucket and threw up.

"This. . .is disgusting" dad groaned.

"Tell me about it" I muttered, spraying the air.

-

"_ROSE, WAKE UP_!"

I sat up quickly and looked around, squinting. I yawned and ran my fingers through my hair.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Well, you fell asleep on the bus, you nearly walked _into_ the fountain, you fell asleep against a pillar, and now you fell asleep against your locker" Blake said, counting off on his fingers.

"Not to mention that you nearly walked into an open manhole on the _way_ to school this morning" Sasha added. "So, what's going on?"

"I'm tired" I replied, yawning again.

"That's obvious" Blake said rolling his eyes. "But, why are you tired?"

"Stuff happened last night. Liam and Leon got into the sugar again" I replied, thinking about how sick my dad was.

"You're lying" Sasha said after a moment's silence.

"No, I'm not" I replied, turning to look at my friends.

They exchanged glances and then looked back at me, crossing their arms over their chests.

"Then, look us in the eye and tell us that nothing is going on" Blake replied in a somewhat stern voice.

I blinked in surprise. I looked up and said a silent prayer as the bell rang, signaling the first class of the day. I forced a smile as I looked at my friends.

"Well, it's time for class" I said. I turned around and started to go in through a door.

"You must be even more tired than I thought" Sasha said with a smirk.

"Why's that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, turning my head to look at him.

"You're about to go into the boys' bathroom" Blake pointed out. I took a step back and stared up at the word on the door.

"I knew that" I replied quickly, heading down the hall. Blake and Sasha laughed and rushed after me.

-

History class. The most boring class of the day. Blake was the only one of my two friends in my History class. That made it a little better, but not a lot. I blinked as a piece of folded paper landed on my notebook. In unraveled it and read the note, trying not to attract any attention to myself.

_Are you sure everything is ok? You haven't said much all day. Normally, you'd have the class cracking up at your jokes about 'Mr. Lemon-Sou.'_

_Blankie_

I laughed to myself, placing my hand in front of my mouth so our teacher, Mr. Lemons, wouldn't hear me. Keeping my eyes on the marker board, I grabbed my pen and scribbled a reply. I refolded the paper quickly and brought my arm back, dropping the folded piece of paper into Blake's hand. He looked around before reading it:

_Blankie,_

_I remember when I used to call you that. I think I was 4 or 5. Good times. Anyway, I'm fine. I stayed up waiting for dad last night. He got in late and then the boys wanted me to read them a book so I didn't get a lot of sleep._

_Rosie-Posie_

_PS: Don't you miss the good old days where we didn't have any responsibilities?_

Blake looked up as Mr. Lemons cleared his throat.

"OK, since we're done with our lesson, you can have the rest of the class as free time" he said in his usual gravely voice that made anyone shudder. Rose turned around in her seat and smiled at Blake. He gave a small smile in in return.

"Yeah, Rosie-Posie, I miss the good old days" Blake said with a laugh.

"Everyday after school you, Sasha, and I would go over to your house to have lemonade and play cards on the front porch" I said with a small smile.

"Are we going anything this afternoon?" Blake asked in reply. His face turned red as I stared at him. "I don't mean like a date or anything."

"Sasha mentioned something about going to the movies in Biology" I said, squinting my eyes, trying to remember.

"We've already seen every movie in theaters twice" Blake said, shaking his head.

"We'll think of something" I replied as the bell rang. Blake and I gathered our things and headed for the door to the classroom.

"Miss Truscott" Mr. Lemons said sternly, tapping his foot impatiently.

Everyone in the class turned to look at him. He had a hand up, holding onto something. I looked closer and groaned inwardly when I noticed that it was Blake's and my note. Blake must have realized what it was because he stepped lightly on my toes. I pinched his elbow in return.

"Y-yes, sir?" I asked in a quiet voice. '_Please don't read it. Please don't read it_.'

"Next time, refrain from passing love notes to your boyfriend, Mr. Mulliver" Mr. Lemons said as he pressed the note into my hand. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. The rest of the class' laughter didn't help either.

"No problem, sir" I replied in an even quieter voice.

"I'm going to have to call your parents too" Mr. Lemons called as I left his room.

"Goody gumdrops" I said sarcastically.

And that's how the rumor started. . .

I never said that Blake wasn't my boyfriend. . .

-

"Rosie, we're bored" Liam whined as soon as I got home. I sighed and blew a strand of hair out of my eyes.

"Go get my crayon box off my desk and color" I suggested, heading into the kitchen.

"Cool, let's go" Leon said to his brother and the two of them rushed up the stairs.

I sat down at the kitchen table and started on all of my homework, doing the hardest first and the easiest last. I opened up my Biology book and got to work. Dad came down the stairs moments later.

"Sweetie, could you get me a beer?" he asked with a smile.

"I think you had enough last night" I said bitterly.

"I'm sorry about slapping you honey. You know I am" dad said quietly.

"Yeah whatever" I replied as I got up and went to the refrigerator. I grabbed the cold bottle and held it out to him. "We're almost out."

"So, I'll buy more" dad replied and took a long swig. He swallowed and let out a loud burp. "Ahhh, that's better."

I made a disgusted face as the smell of beer surrounded me. Dad saw the look on my face and raised his hand. I gasped in shock as he backslapped me. I turned to face him with wide eyes. He smiled a warm smile at me then turned and headed up the stairs. I winced as I heard dad's loud scream.

"What is it? What's going on?" I asked, rushing up the stairs.

I froze when I saw. Swirls, zig-zags, colors were all over the upstairs hallway walls. Liam and Leon were standing near by, trying not to cry. Their lower lips were trembling.

"_Your brothers are drawing on the walls_! Where'd you get those crayons? _Where_?" dad yelled, shaking the twins by their shoulders. Tears were falling down their cheeks as they bawled openly. "_Where_?"

"I said they could use them. It's my fault" I said quickly.

Dad gave me a hard stare and pushed Leon and Liam into their room. He strode over to me and slapped me again. I covered my eye with a hand instantly. I knew a bruise was going to be there.

"Clean the walls" dad said gruffly and went into his room, slamming the door shut. Leon and Liam quietly came out of their room.

"Daddy scared us" Leon said quietly.

"We're sorry, Rosie" Liam whispered.

"It's ok" I replied thickly. "Just get me a washcloth and help me clean the wall. Do everything I tell you, ok?"

They nodded and ran off. I stared after them and one phrase popped into my mind: Child Abuse.

Child Abuse: _Noun-Mistreatment of a child by a parent or guardian, including neglect, beating, and sexual molestation_

"Mom, please come home soon" I whispered, lightly touching my stinging eye. . .


	5. Denial

**Chapter Five: Denial**

I made a face as my stomach growled for the umpteenth time. I was so hungry, but I knew I couldn't eat anything. Although, the plate of doughnuts, that were sitting on the table, were calling my name. We were in the food court, eating a light breakfast before we went around the mall's stores.

"Lilly, are you ok?" Oliver asked, peering at me closely. I snapped my attention to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" I asked.

"You're not eating" Miley pointed out.

"Oh, I had a big breakfast. Mom wouldn't let me leave until I ate something. It was so good I couldn't stop" I said with a small laugh.

"Are you sure? Powdered sugar doughnuts are your favorite" Oliver teased, lifting the plate and moving it back and forth underneath my nose. "Smell the sugary goodness."

"Cut it out, Oliver" I snapped, slapping his arm.

"Ow, sorry" Oliver apologized, dropping the plate back onto the table.

"No, I'm sorry. I haven't gotten that much sleep lately and I guess I'm tired" I replied quietly.

"Just have one doughnut Lilly" Miley said, pushing the plate towards me. "Then, we can go shopping for clothes."

I laughed as Oliver groaned. I grabbed a doughnut and stared hard at it. It took a small bite and slowly chewed it. Miley and Oliver got up to throw away their cups and napkins.

I ran my fingers over the powdered sugar and dabbed it across my lips. I quickly grabbed a napkin and stuffed the doughnut inside. I spat the small bite of the doughnut into it also. I rushed over to the trashcan and threw away the napkin. Oliver and Miley laughed.

"What?" I asked, pretending to be confused.

"You have powdered sugar all over your lips" Miley said in between laughs. I forced a laugh and licked my lips clean.

"is it gone?" I asked.

"Yeah" Oliver said with a nod.

"Cool. Let's go to the skate shop" I said with a wide smile.

-

"Lilly, don't you think you've gotten enough?" Oliver asked me.

"What? These are cute" I said as I grabbed a pair of purple sweats off the clothes rack.

"How much baggy clothes do you need?" Oliver asked, staring at the clothes in my arms.

"Skates wear lots of baggy things. Besides, baggy clothes. . .are in. . .right. . .now" I replied slowly, thinking of a lie off the top of my head.

"She's right you know. Baggy clothes _are_ in" Miley said, walking up to the two of us. I let out a sigh of relief. '_Thank you, Miley_.'

"Interesting" Oliver replied in, what sounded like to me, an unconvinced voice. I smiled at him and went to the cashier to pay for my clothes. "Lilly, are you _sure_ you're ok?"

"Mhm" I replied, and started humming a little tune. The cashier handed me a bag of my clothes. "Thank you."

"But, Lilly-"

"All right! It's time to go shopping for make-up and earrings" Miley said, clapping her hands together.

Oliver and I let out a loud groan as she grabbed out wrists and pulled us out of the clothes store. Not, literally of course. I crossed my arms over my stomach as it growled again. . .

-

"Lilly, dinner time"

"I'll be down in a minute, mom" I called from my bathroom. I sighed heavily and looked at my self in the mirror. "Man, I'm still huge." I turned to the side and looked at my profile. "Why can't I be as skinny as Miley?"

I walked over to the scale on my bathroom floor and stared at it. I too ka deep breath and stepped onto it. I closed my eyes while I waited for it to calculate my weight. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at it. '_Hey, I lost three pounds already. Maybe I should go for a run tomorrow morning_.'

"_Lilly_"

"I'm coming. I'm coming" I snapped. I rushed out of my room and down the stairs, taking my spot at the kitchen table.

"What took you so long?" mom asked.

"I was in the bathroom" I replied. I looked at my plate and saw that we were having meatloaf. "Uh, how many calories is in this?"

"Why?" dad asked me, giving me a weird look. I shrugged.

"I'm just watching what I eat for a while. It's for a health project I'm doing with Miley and Oliver. We're eating certain foods and sees who lost the most weight or who's more fit or something" I replied, staring at my plate.

"That sounds interesting" Mom said with a proud smile.

'_More interesting than you know_' I thought, pushing the meatloaf around my plate.

"Lilly, stop playing with your food" dad said sternly. I jumped.

"Right, sorry" I replied with a sheepish smile. I stabbed my fork into my piece of meatloaf and took a bite. I sighed happily as I tasted the meat. "That's so good."

"Thank you, sweetie" mom said with a smile.

'_Don't eat a lot Lilly, you'll get even bigger and look even more disgusting_' I thought as I stared at the rest of the meatloaf on my plate. The juicy. . .delicious meatloaf. '_Oh, the hell with it_.' I ate the meatloaf.

And I got seconds. . .

And thirds. . .


	6. Pain

**Chapter Six: Pain**

I sighed heavily as I opened my locker door the next morning. I stared at the bruise around my eye in the mirror at the back of my locker. I lightly touched it and winced at the pain.

"How'd you get that, Rose?" Blake's voice drifted to my eyes. I looked at him in the mirror.

"I got hit by a baseball bat. Leon, Liam, and I were playing in the backyard. I was catcher. Well, Liam swung so hard that the bat smacked me in the eye" I replied, getting my Math books.

"That looks like it hurts" he commented.

"Ya think?" I asked, closing my locker and turning around to face him. He gave a warm smile in return. When whistling caught my attention, I turned and saw Sasha coming down the hall. "Hey, Sasha."

Sasha didn't reply. He just went to his locker, still whistling. I exchanged confused looks with Blake and the two of us headed over to him.

"Hey, Sasha. What's going on?" Blake asked, punching our friend on the shoulder. He stopped what he was doing and slowly turned around to face us. He had the weirdest look on his face.

"Nothing" he replied, setting his jaw.

"Are you sure? Because you seem tense about something" I said quietly.

"I'm not tense" he replied in an agitated tone.

"What's the matter with you?" Blake asked, his eyes widening slightly.

"I thought you were my friends" Sasha replied. His voice cracking.

"We are your-"

"Then, why didn't you tell me you were going out?" Sasha interrupted.

"Going out?" Blake and I parroted.

"Yeah, as in you're dating" Sasha replied, rolling his eyes.

"What gave you that idea?" I asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, we're not going out" Blake agreed. Sasha snorted.

"You could have fooled me. The whole school is talking about you two" he replied.

"What would give them the idea that-" my eyes widened as I thought hard. "Oh lordy."

"What?" Blake asked.

"This is all my fault" I whispered.

"So _you're_ the one who said we were dating?" Blake asked. I rolled my eyes.

"_No, you doughnut_" I said, stomping my foot. "We were passing notes in class remember?"

"History?" Sasha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah" Blake and I replied in unison.

"Who wouldn't pass notes in that class?" Sasha asked with a happy glint in his eyes. I turned to Blake and continued talking to him.

"Yeah, so. Remember, Mr. Lemons picked up our note at the end of class? He said that you were my boyfriend and I was so embarrassed that I never said that we were just friends" I replied quickly.

"Everybody else was still in the classroom too" Blake said, finally catching on.

"And everybody in our class is one to spread juicy gossip" Sasha said with a nod.

"So you were mad for no reason" I said, slapping Sasha on the head.

"There was another reason" Sasha said quietly. "But, I'm not going to tell you what it is."

With that, he walked off, heading for our Math class. Which was strange, because he always waited for Blake and I to be ready before he left.

"What was that all about?" I asked, balancing my books against my hip.

"Isn't it obvious?" Blake asked me, watching Sasha's retreating back.

"What?" I asked, tightening my pig tails.

"Sasha likes you."

-

"I hate my life" I moaned as I headed out of the school. I smiled as the salty Florida grazed my skin.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad" Sasha said, coming out of the school behind me, draping his arm across my shoulders.

"You doughnut! You didn't believe me at first when I said that Blake and I weren't going out!" I said, punching him in the side. "Hell, why should anyone else believe me? All they care about is gossip, gossip, gossip."

"Why else would we come to school?" Blake asked, standing to my right. I tapped my chin, pretending to think.

"To see your friends that help you get through the most boring times" I replied with a smile.

I stiffened as a group of girls walked by the three of us, talking and whispering. They giggled to each other and pointed at Blake, Sasha, and I.

"Just ignore them" Sasha said quietly.

"That's easier said then done" I muttered in reply. "But, that's not going to bring me down. There's a plate of cookies and lemonade waiting for us back at home."

"Cool, let's go" Blake said, immediately rushing down the stairs.

"I still don't see how he can eat so much and stay so thing" Sasha said, putting his hands on his hips.

"I think it's because he's bulimic" I replied with a smirk. Blake turned around and pretended to be mad at me.

"I heard that" he called back up the stairs. "Now, I'm going to eat all the cookies and not let you have any."

"You have to catch me first" I said, rushing down the stairs and past him, sprinting down the sidewalk.

Blake reached out to grab me, but I spun out of the way and continued on down the street, one hand on my head so my beanie wouldn't fly off.

"Come on, let's go" Sasha said, jumping off the stairs and breaking out into a run. Blake sighed heavily and raced after them.

"Rose, slow down" Blake called. I turned around and started running backwards, laughing.

"Why don't you speed up?" I asked.

"We're not all on the Cross Country team" Sasha panted.

"That's not my problem" I said, slowing to a walk. I rolled my eyes as Blake and Sasha stood beside me, hands on their knees, and panting. "I love being faster than you guys."

"Ha. Ha. _Shut up_" Sasha and Blake said sarcastically as they straightened.

"I don't shut up, I grow up, and seeing you makes me throw up" I replied and made a gagging noise.

"Very mature, _Rosealyn_" Sasha said, shaking his head like a disappointed parent.

"You taught it to me, _Saucea_" I snapped in reply.

When I was younger, I could never pronounce Sasha, so I called him 'sauce' with an 'a' at the end. Sasha made a face and rolled his eyes.

"So, how'd you get that shiner?" Sasha asked, quickly changing the subject. He really hated being called 'Saucea.'

"Huh?" I asked, turning around and continuing my walk home.

"That bruise around your eye" Sasha replied as we got onto the street of my house. I quickened my pace to a light jog.

"Are any of you guys thirsty? I sure am" I replied, hurrying up the stairs to my front porch.

"Is something-"

I screamed in pain as the door swung open and hit me in the face. I fell to the ground holding, my nose. I looked up and noticed my dad standing in the doorway. He glared down at me.

"You forgot something today" he said in a cold voice.

"What?" I asked, my eyes watering.

"Not _what_? _Who_?" dad replied, glaring down at me.

He stepped aside and Leon and Liam raced out the front door. They noticed Sasha and Blake walking up. Dad's eyes widened and he stood up straight, his face now calm.

"Oh man! I'm sorry guys. I forgot I had to pick you up today" I said, gingerly touching my nose.

"It's ok, Rosie" Leon said with his dimpled smile.

"Sorry, I hit you in the face" dad said quietly and went back into the house.

"Rose, how's your bruise doing?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, how did you get that bruise anyway? You never answered my question" Sasha replied. Leon looked up at him.

"Dad hit her."


	7. Mood Swings

**Chapter Seven: Mood Swings**

I groaned and held my stomach as I headed back up to my room. I couldn't believe that I ate all that meatloaf. It was so good, but I couldn't stop myself.

I immediately headed into my bedroom and got onto my computer. I made sure the door was locked before placing my hand on the mouse and opening an internet browser. I went into google and typed in two words: _Dieting Tips_.

Many web pages came up. I sighed heavily and clicked on the first link and started to read. I grabbed a pen and a notebook and started writing down some notes. I spent the next thirty minutes, reading tips about dieting.

But, one we link caught my eye. '_"So you want to lose weight fast, huh?" This so promising_' I thought as I clicked on the link. The webpage opened up and I leaned towards the screen reading. About halfway down the page, I found what I was looking for:

_The easiest way to get rid of food (if you've already eaten it) is to throw it back up. Just lean over the toilet bowl and stick your finger as far as you can down your throat. A helpful tip is to run water so no one will hear what you're doing._

"Lilly?"

I jumped as the door opened and quickly minimized the window. I brought up a Microsoft Word document and pretended to type something.

"What is it, mom? I'm kind of busy right now" I replied.

"I just wanted to remind you that I'm driving you to school tomorrow. We have to leave earlier than usual so I want you to go to bed soon" mom replied.

"OK, no problem" I replied getting up from my chair. "I was about to take a bath anyway."

Mom nodded and left my room, closing the door behind her. I let out a sigh of relief and shut down the computer. I grabbed my notebook and closed it. I grabbed a Sharpie off my dresser and wrote: **FOOD JOURNAL **on the front. I hid it under my mattress, grabbed my pajamas and headed into my bathroom.

I turned on the bath tub water and headed over to the toilet. I pushed up the lid and got on my knees. I stuck my index finger in my mouth and down my throat. My stomach slammed it's walls together and my throat convulse immediately. I coughed and all this partially digested food came out of my mouth and into the toilet bowl.

I swallowed thickly; the stomach acid burned my throat. The smell was horrible, but I threw my head forward and threw up once again. I made a face at the floating food and flushed the toilet. I sighed heavily and turned off the bath water. I grabbed my tooth brush and brushed my teeth so the smell of my puke wouldn't be visible.

Other than that, I felt. . .lighter.

-

"Hey, guys. What took you so long to get here?" I asked as Miley and Oliver joined me at lunch the next day.

"Life Science" was all they said in reply.

They sat down in front of me, piles of spaghetti and mashed potatoes on their plates. I held back a groan and tried not to stare at it. I had half a hamburger and a few fries. The rest of my lunch was in a napkin in my lap.

"Was it that bad?" I asked, forcing a laugh. I knew how much they hated Life Science.

"The worst" Oliver replied rolling his eyes and bringing a forkful of spaghetti to his mouth.

"Trust me, you don't want me to go into details" Miley said shaking her head. While Miley and Oliver were in Life Science I was in Math. I _hate_ Math.

"You'll never guess what I heard" I said excitedly. I've been waiting for Miley to come so I could tell her this. I nearly burst with excitement.

"What?" Miley asked, thorough a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"Jake Ryan from _Zombie High _is coming to this school" I replied. Miley's eyes narrowed.

"So what? He's probably one of those stuck up famous people. He's probably in love with himself and his fans being in love with him" she replied.

"I thought you'd be happy about this" I said, my shoulders slumping. "I am."

"You _adore_ Jake Ryan, that's why" Oliver replied. I gave him a swift kick in his leg and he made a face of pain.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Miley asked suddenly.

"Huh? Oh, I'm not hungry anymore" I replied, balling up the napkin that was in my lap. I felt the juices from the hamburger seep out of the napkin and into my hand. "Besides, who knows how many calories is in that?"

"Since when do you care about your weight?" Oliver asked.

"Since I wanted to lose a little weight so I'd be more aerodynamic for skateboarding" I snapped.

"It'll make you more healthy too. I'm proud of you Lilly, watching what you eat is a good idea. You've been eating a lot of fatty foods lately" Miley said with a nod.

"_Are you calling me fat_?!" I demanded, jumping to my feet.

"What? No of course not!" Miley replied, her eyes growing wide.

"Lilly-"

"Just because someone wants to lose a little weight for a sport doesn't mean they're fat" I continued, interrupting Oliver.

"I never said-"

"I can't believe you, Miley! My best friend!" I grabbed my lunch tray and threw out my trash. I slammed my tray down on the tray return and stomped out of the cafeteria.

I had never been so mad before. . .

-

"I think something's wrong with her" Miley said after a moment's silence. Oliver shrugged.

"Maybe she has '_it_' " he replied calmly.

"Yeah, she's probably just PMSing" Miley replied.

"Miles, not when I'm eating spaghetti" Oliver moaned, dropping his fork. Miley laughed and got to her feet.

"I'm going to go check on her" she said and left the cafeteria.

Oliver nodded when his foot hit something. He picked up a wad of napkin and unwrapped it, half a hamburger and some fries in it.

"PMSing? I don't think so."


	8. Burning

**A/N: For thos e of you who read my Lockdown fic, I used the name Blake just because I love that name and it's not the same person.**

**-**

**Chapter Eight: Burning**

"He-He. . .hit you?" Sasha choked out.

"Like on purpose?" Blake asked his eyes wide.

"It was our fault" Liam piped up, a sad look on his face. "We were drawing on the walls with her crayons."

"Dad sent us to our room because he was so mad at us" Leon continued. "He was scaring us. But, we peeked out our bedroom door and saw him slap her."

"Leon, Liam go inside" I said, pushing my brothers to the door.

"But, Rosie" they whined. "Did we do something bad?"

"No, nothing at all. Now go on" I said, pushing them towards the door. "Hey guys." Leon and Liam turned around to look at me. "I love you."

"I love you too, Rosie" the twins whispered before they disappeared inside. There was a moment of silence before any of us spoke.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Blake asked.

"It was just an accident, it doesn't matter" I replied quickly. Sasha shook his head.

"I don't think so. This wasn't the first time he hit you. I can see it in your eyes" he said, staring hard at me.

"Oh, what do you know? I _am _a clumsy person remember?" I spat.

"Rose-"

"Just leave" I said with a heavy sigh. Blake and Sasha exchanged glances.

"If you want to talk you have our numbers" Blake said quietly.

"Look, I didn't mean to hurt your guys' feelings" I said, running my hands through my hair.

"You didn't. Don't worry. Everybody has to have some privacy" Sasha replied quickly. The two boys gave a small wave and headed home. "We need to keep an eye on her." Blake nodded in reply.

I watched my friends until they disappeared from my sight. Only then, did I go inside. I smiled at the smell of spaghetti sauce. I entered the kitchen and sat down on one of the stools at the counter.

"When's mom going to be back?" I asked, eating a small piece of raw meat.

"Tomorrow afternoon" dad replied, his back to me. From the way he stood, I could tell he was tense or mad about something.

"Is something wrong?" I asked quietly. Dad turned and glared at me, his eyes flashing. His hand tightened it's grip around the spoon to the sauce. He stuck it in the boiling water.

"No, nothing's wrong. Why would anything be wrong?" he asked in a cold voice. "I mean, just because someone's wife doesn't give him attention doesn't mean anything's wrong."

"Dad-"

"This is all your fault! If you weren't here then everything would be fine" dad hissed.

"It's not my fault you had to follow your hormones and have sex with mom" I spat.

"That's not what I'm talking about, Rosealyn. When you were gone at summer camp and it was just me, your mother, Leon and Liam, we were all happier" dad growled. "Then, you had to go and change all that! My life sucks and it's _all your fault_!"

"No, it's not" I yelled, slapping my hands on the table.

"Yes, it is! No one here likes you. You're worthless! You're pathetic! You're stupid!" dad yelled. He rushed over to me, pushing my against the ounter so I wouldn't move.

"Get off!" I yelled.

Dad didn't reply. He lifted the back of my shit and pressed the hot spoon to my back. I closed my eyes and screamed as he hot metal burned my skin. Tears fell from my eyes as I gripped the edges of the counter. Dad pulled the spoon away and slapped me in the back of the head.

"Finish the spaghetti, give your brothers a bath, and get to bed. I'm going to the bar" dad growled, slapping the spoon onto the table.

"OK, dad" I whispered.

"And call me sir from now on. You're _not_ my kid" dad growled into my ear, pulling my head up by the hair.

"Yes, sir" I whispered, swallowing thickly.

"And not a word to anyone about this or I'll hurt the twins in front of you" dad added.

"Y-yes, sir" I replied. I didn't want anything to happen to the boys.

"Good" dad said.

He kissed me on the cheek, grabbed his car keys and left the house, slamming the door shut behind him. Leon and Liam ran into the kitchen moments later.

"Where did dad go?" Liam asked, climbing into his chair. I opened my mouth and quickly closed it. '_Don't tell them any of the bad things, Rose. You'll scare them_.'

"He went to the store to buy some more ice cream" I replied, forcing a smile. I slid out of the chair and winced at the sharp pain in my back.

"Are you ok?" Leon asked, lightly putting his hand on my back. I forced a smile and tried not to flinch.

"I'm fine" I replied in a quiet voice. "Dinner will be ready soon."

-

"Ok, boys. Time for bed" I said, putting down my hand of cards.

"One more round? Please?" Leon asked.

"Please?" Liam added. Both of them gave me the puppy dog pout. I looked at the clock on the wall and gave a heavy sigh. "Ok, one more game of Slap Jack and _then_ it's time for bed."

"Yay!" Liam and Leon cheered.

I shuffled the deck of cards and slowly flipped the cards over onto the table. I couldn't help but smile at the looks of concentration on the boys' faces and how their small arms were raised in the air, ready to slap at a pile of cards.

"_I thought I told you to get the boys in bed right after dinner_"

I whirled around in shock, the cards falling to the floor. Leon and Liam smiled.

"Daddy" they cried, rushing over to dad, giving him a big hug. He bent down to their level and hugged them back, glaring at me over their shoulders. "We wanted to play cards. We weren't sleepy."

"Go on up to bed. It's way past your bed time and you have school tomorrow" dad replied in a quiet voice.

"Good night, daddy. Goodnight, Rosie" Leon and Liam replied, rushing up the stairs.

"Night" I replied, blowing them a kiss.

I got down on the floor and started picking up the cards as fast as I could. The look on dad's face really scared me. Dad walked over and stomped his foot down on my hand. I sucked in a deep breath and looked up at dad.

"Get up and follow me" he hissed, getting off my hand. I shook my hand, trying to ease the pain. I quietly followed dad into the living room. "Lie down on your stomach."

I quietly got down on my stomach, afraid of what dad was going to do. I heard a small _woosh_ and looked up to see him lighting a cigarette. He blew out the match and breathed deeply.

"Ah, good stuff" he said after a small fit of coughing.

He looked down at me and then got to his knees. He brushed the hair away from my neck and stuck the lit end of the cigarette against the back of my neck. I quickly grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. Dad just laughed.

_He laughed_.

It was then I realized he enjoys my pain. I am worthless. I _am_ the reason his life sucks. If only he didn't adopt me. The pain was overwhelming me now. I was getting dizzy. Then everything faded to black. . .

-

"I'll be there in a minute. I forgot my sketch pad" Leon said to his twin.

Liam nodded and got into his bed, rolling over to face the wall. Leon rushed out of his room and quietly walked down the stairs. He went into the dining room and grabbed his sketch pad and pen. He turned towards the living room when he heard a sound.

"Rosie?" he asked quietly.

He walked towards the living room and peeked around the corner. He gasped at what he saw. His dad was sticking a cigarette against Rose's neck. '_Why is daddy doing this? Rosie is crying. What's going on_?' His notebook slipped from his hand and hit the floor. He quickly hid around the corner when his dad looked up. Leon grabbed his notebook and rushed upstairs to his room.

"What's wrong?" Liam asked when he saw the look on Leon's face.

"Something scared me. That's all" Leon replied, turning off the light to his bedroom.

"Oh, ok. Goodnight, Leon" Liam said, closing his eyes.

"Goodnight, Liam" Leon replied, getting into bed.

He waited until he was sure Liam was asleep before turning on the lamp. He opened his sketch book to a new page and quickly drew what was burned into his mind forever. . .


	9. Gym Class

**Chapter Nine: Gym Class**

Gym class is probably the only thing of the school day that I can put to good use with my diet. For our gym class you have a choice of being in the weight room, or being in the gym to play soccer or something. And because I was on a diet and wanted to lose weight, I obviously chose going to the weight room.

"Excuse me, what is the easiest way to lose weight?" I asked the gym teacher before she left me along.

"Riding the bike" she replied. "But you might want to start at a slow pace"

"Thanks" I nodded to her and waited until she left the room before I got on the bike. "Yeah right, like I need to start slow" I muttered to myself putting up the bike at a high-speed before starting to pedal.

-

"Oliver, where's Lilly?" Miley asked as she walked outside of the girls' locker room.

"I thought she was with you" Oliver replied, shrugging. "Anyway, Miley, I need to talk to you about Lilly. She's not herself"

"So you noticed too?" Miley said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, but when you left at lunch, I found the napkin that she was hiding and there was food in it" Oliver said.

"So, people who don't want to eat some food stick it in a napkin and hide it" Miley said, shrugging.

"But Lilly _loves_ french-fries, why would she throw them out?" Oliver asked, frowning in concern.

"Maybe she felt sick" Miley said. "Oliver, I'm worried too, but we have to go to gym class. Let's talk about it afterwards"

"Whatever," Oliver replied suddenly sounding angry. Miley took a step back.

"What's wrong with you, Oliver?" Miley asked.

"You," Oliver replied. "You're what's wrong with me! Something's wrong with our best friend and all you care about is gym class! You know Miley, sometimes' you can be a bitch!"

Oliver ignored Miley's gasp and stormed down the hallway to the gym room. '_I'm going to figure out what's wrong with Lilly and get her help, even if I have to fail school to do it!_'

-

I sighed and wiped sweat off of my forehead as I climbed off of the bike. I walked over to the scale and stared at if for a few seconds before climbing onto it. I closed my eyes and waited for the scale to stop whirring by. When it did I opened my eyes and groaned.

"Only half a pound?" I cried out I despair. I stepped off of the scale and looked towards my bag.

I walked to it and opened and zipper and pulled out a bottle of Ipecac I secretly ordered, using my mom's credit card. I stared at it for a few minutes, trying to decide what to do. And then put it back into the bag and walked over to the treadmill.

I turned it up to a high speed and started to run.

-

"Excuse me, Coach? Where did Lilly go?" Oliver asked, during a time out of their soccer game.

"She decided to stay inside and lift weights" she replied. Oliver nodded.

"Is it ok if I go in, I don't feel very well" he said, rubbing his stomach. The coach looked him in the eye.

"Oken, if you want to spend sometime with your girlfriend, just go in" she said with a knowing look on her face.

"Thank you" Oliver said and hurried inside, not bothering to correct the coach of Lilly not being his girlfriend.

He jogged to the weight lifting room and pulled open the door and gasped as he saw Lilly fall to her knees. "Lilly?" he called.

"Oliver?" Lilly turned to look at him, before falling to the floor.

-

I gasped for air as I got off of the treadmill. I grabbed some water and started to drink it. I started to walk over to my bag, but my knees felt weak and I fell to the ground.

"Lilly?" I heard a voice asked.

I turned my head to look at Oliver as he stood in the doorway. "Oliver?" I asked him. I started to say something else, but before I knew it, the floor was coming up to meet me…


	10. Painx2

**Chapter Ten: Painx2**

The next morning, Leon and Liam awoke at the same time; to their stomach growling.

"Morning" they greeted each other in unison and started to laugh.

"Do you smell that?" Leon asked, a smile coming on to his face.

"Yeah. It smells like chocolate chip pancakes" Liam replied.

"Daddy doesn't make chocolate chip pancakes" Leon said, raising an eyebrow.

"Neither does Rosie" Liam muttered, a look of confusion on his face.

"Then, that means-"

"MOMMY!"

The two boys jumped out of bed and rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen. They ran over to their mother and threw their arms around her waist.

"Oh, my boys. I missed you so much" their mother, Melody Hazel, said in a quiet voice as she bent down and hugged her twin boys.

"We missed you too mommy" Leon and Liam said quietly.

I groaned and headed into the kitchen, grouchy from being woken up by my brother's screams. I rubbed my eyes and stepped into the kitchen, freezing at the sight of my mom hugging my brothers.

"Hey, mom. How was your trip?" I asked, a smile coming to my face as Leon and Liam rushed up to me.

"It was really productive" mom said shortly. "How was your father?"

"He was ok" I replied shortly. I said the next part under my breath. "Besides the times he was drunk."

"Daddy hurt Rosie" Leon said quietly, staring up at his mom.

"What?" mom asked, a startled look on her face.

"No, he didn't do anything. He doesn't know what he's talking about" I said quickly.

"He slapped her because. . .well because Leon and I drew on the walls" Liam said, his eyes wide.

"Then he burned her neck. She was screaming but he wouldn't let her go" Leon added.

"When was this?" mom asked, shaking.

"Yesterday night" Leon replied.

"Mom, he's lying. He had a nightmare or something" I said quietly.

"No, I'm not. I'll prove it" Leon said, breaking out of my grasp and rushing up the stairs.

"Rosealyn" mom said in a quiet tone.

I stared down at my feet. Leon came down the stairs moments later with his sketchpad. He opened it and showed mom the picture. Her eyes widened.

"Rose, go and take Leon and Liam to the park" she said quietly.

"But, mom-"

"Now" she interrupted me.

"Go get your skateboards. I'll meet you on the front porch" I said quietly, running my fingers through Leon and Liam's hair. They did as they were told.

"Come here, Rose" mom said quietly, her green eyes, boring into mine. I walked over to her. "Turn around and lift your hair."

I did as I was told. Mom ran cool water on a wash cloth and scrubbed the makeup off the back of my neck. I heard mom curse under her breath and finger the three burn marks on my neck.

"Go hang out with friends or whatever" mom said, stomping up the stairs.

"What about breakfast?" I asked.

"Go to a friends house" mom called in reply. Man, was she pissed.

I sighed heavily and went outside, sitting on the porch swing as I waited for Leon and Liam. I looked up as Blake and Sasha headed up the driveway.

"Hey guys" I said quietly.

"Is your mom home? There's an extra car in the driveway" Sasha said with a smile.

"Yeah, she is" I replied with a nod. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Breakfast, duh" Blake said with a lopsided grin.

"Why don't you ever eat breakfast at your own home?" I snapped. Blake and Sasha's eyes widened in shock.

"Calm down, what's the matter?" Sasha asked, holding his hands up defensively.

"Nothing" I replied, suddenly irritable. I relaxed as Leon and Liam came out of the house. They were both wearing layered shirts and long jeans.

"Wouldn't you rather wear shorts? Won't you get hot in that?" Blake asked. Leon and Liam exchanged glances.

"N-no, it's ok. W-we're fine" Leon said giving a small smile.

I could tell that it was forced. Dad did something to them. That I knew for sure. It's only a matter of time before something happens to mom.

"We're headed to the park. Want to come?" Liam asked, being his polite self.

"This early?" Blake asked. Leon and Liam shrugged.

"No problem" Sasha replied, elbowing Blake in the side. He and Blake exchanged looks. "Let's go." We headed to the park in silence, Liam and Leon skated ahead of us.

"Are you sure nothing is going on at your house, Rose?" Sasha asked quietly.

"Would you lay off? Nothing is going on?" I asked impatiently, speeding up.

Blake and Sasha rushed to catch up with me. Blake put his hand on the small of my back. I stiffened and backed away from his touch. Blake flung out his arm and stopped Sasha from walking.

"What is it dude?" Sasha whispered.

"I think we need to check out their behavior online" Blake said quietly.

"You mean-"

"Yes, my suspicion about them being abused is becoming clearer to me" Blake said with a nod. . .

-

"OK, guys. I think you need a nap" I said as I led Leon and Liam into the house.

They kept their skateboarding stuff on the front porch and rubbed their eyes, walking inside the house. I let out a sigh and closed the door behind me. Turning back towards the stairs, I got knocked back an indefinable force.

"Why'd you have to go an tell your mother?" I heard dad growl.

I choked for air as his hands wrapped around my throat and started to squeeze tightly. Black spots erupted in front of my eyes. I reached out to grab something. . .anything.

"Rosie" I heard a small whisper.

Dad shoved me to the floor at the sound of the voice. I hit my head on the floor and rolled over onto my stomach and saw that Liam and Leon were still standing in the room. Their eyes were wide in fear. My head throbbed with pain as I fought to stay conscious.

"Boys. . .go. . .upstairs" I whispered, trying to get to my feet.

"You little brats" dad growled rushing over to them.

Leon and Liam turned to run up the stairs, but dad grabbed their arms and pulled them back. They stumbled over the lamp table and fell to the ground, the table landing on top of them. The lamp shattered next to their heads, hitting them with chipped clay.

They screamed and cried as dad kicked them in the sides, and head. I slowly pushed myself to my feet. Leon and Liam shrieked as dad grabbed them by the hair and dragged them up the stairs. I slowly followed, pleading with him to let them go. I finally got to their room as dad started to hit them with a belt. Liam had a gash on his cheek and Leon had blood running from a cut somewhere under his hair.

"Get off them. Get off them, you bastard" I whispered, grabbing one of the twins' chairs and hitting dad in the back with it.

He whirled around and backslapped me, the chair crashing into the wall. Leon and Liam fell to the floor, unconscious. Dad walked out of the room. I breathed a sigh of relief and closed the door to the boys' room.

Before I could lock it, dad kicked the door open, sending me across the room. Dad rushed over to me and pulled me off the floor. He had a vase in his free hand. I closed my eyes and waited for it to come smashing down on my head.

I fell to my knees, trembling in pain. Shards of glass embedded in my neck from the vase that had just been smashed over my head. I grimaced and held back a moan.

"You worthless piece of trash," dad spat the words like venom.

I winced.

**I'm sorry...I'm so sorry. I won't do it again...I'll try harder, I swear...please, just stop. Don't do anymore. I'm scared. Do you know what it's like to be this scared? Have you ever felt this kind of fear, father?**

"Get up!" He yelled.

I could smell the alcohol on his breath from where I was. I carefully got to my feet. The room was spinning, I stumbled a few feet and then sank to my knees. I was too weak to stand.

"_I said get up_."

**I can't. Can't you see that? Even you can tell I'm dying right now...**

"GET UP!" He barked.

I tried to get up, I tried my hardest. The room was still spinning, pain shot through my body every time I moved. I moaned in agony.

**Please, I'm begging you, please stop. I don't want to die...I don't want to die tonight!**

Dad walked to where I was and lifted his foot above my body. I was on my hands and knees. I needed to move, to get away, but my body wouldn't let me. All I could do was sit there and moan. Dad put his foot down hard on my back, knocking me to the ground. My body fell on shards of broken glass. I could feel the glass in my stomach, the crimson blood started to flow from my body. He kept his foot on my back, pushing me harder and harder onto the blood stained mahogany floor.

**Stop! I'm so sorry, father. I promise you I'll do anything you ask, just stop...please.**

Blood trickled from my mouth and down my chin. I tried to swallow but spat up the blood onto the ground.

"Now, get up." he kept his foot firmly on my back.

**How can I? You've still got your foot on me. I can't move...it's all I can do to keep on breathing.**

I felt something sharp hit the back of my neck, pushing the glass farther into it. I screamed in pain and tightly closed my eyes. I heard something crash and break next to my head. I opened one eye and looked at it. Dad was towering above me, a large book in his hand. My head was swimming, pain filled my body. I clenched my fists and got to my knees.

I looked up at dad, "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry, just please...please stop."

I coughed up blood as I spoke. I keeled over and clenched my throat. I couldn't breathe.

"_Stop? Stop? Why should I stop? I hate you, everyone hates you! You're worthless. Ugly, useless, worthless, trash_!" the book hit me in the back, sending me a few feet across the room and back on the ground.

**He's trying to kill me. He's actually trying to...kill me. His own son...his own flesh and blood.**

"_Please just stop_!" I screamed.

"Why should I stop? You think this isn't fair? You deserve this!"

Before I could get in another word a glass had hit my in the stomach. I moaned as the glass broke and embedded itself in my stomach. He smirked and walked towards me.

"Don't come near me!" I screamed.

Dad's grin never left his face He pulled a gun out of his pocket. My eyes widened in terror, I scrambled to my feet and started for the door, stumbling the whole way. I fumbled with the doorknob. It wouldn't open. Why isn't it opening? I have to open it! Dad held up the gun and kept walking. My palms had become sweaty, my whole body was sweaty. I kept slipping with the knob never able to get a good grip on it.

**Lord, please help me. Please protect me from this man. I don't want to die yet. I'm sorry, please forgive me for what I might have done to deserve such a fate as this. But please, don't let me die!**

I kept fumbling with the door as I said this over and over in my head and then, click, the door opened. I pushed it open and started to run down the long hallway and for the stairs. But while I was running as fast as I could, which of course wasn't very fast at all considering my wounds, I tripped on the rug and sailed a few feet through the air.

I landed on her arm and twisted it all the way around. I yelped and held it gingerly with the other hand. My arm was broken, my body covered in glass and sticky blood, my head and neck swollen.

"Get out!" Dad demanded.

I stood up slowly and started for the stairs, a few steps down them I felt the gun run into my head, I lost my balance and fell the rest of the way down. Landing at the bottom.

**I can't breathe...I can't...I'm not going to make it.**

I gently got on my hands and knees, and with all my strength I managed to stand. I stumbled a little and then stood somewhat steady.

"Go!" He screeched.

I looked at the stairs, there was a trail of blood from where I had fallen, my eyes followed the blood and ended at a small pool of blood that had been from my stomach. I winced and turned around. I put my hands on the door and instantly pulled away with a yelp of pain. I looked at my hands. They were red and raw; glass was deep inside them. I looked at the door handle. That was all that kept me from getting away from him, from my father. I looked up at him, he was coming down the stairs slowly.

**I have to get out of here, he's going to kill me.**

I closed my eyes and gripped the door, it was all I could do to keep from screaming in pain. I fumbled some and then it finally opened. Outside the rain was pouring down, I saw lightning crack across the sky and light up the night. I took a step outside the door and then turned to her father.

"If you leave, you know you'll come back. You can't last out there on your own! You'll be back and I'll be waiting."

**I don't care, I'm leaving and I'm never coming back to this damned place!**

I ran and ran until I couldn't run anymore. I stumbled and fell to the hard ground. Lying on the ground, cold rain pouring on my back, I smiled. I was finally free. All the pain, all the suffering, I was free from it all.

"But what do I do from here?" I murmured.

"Nothing. I said that to give you a head start" dad said and held up a black pistol. . .


	11. Denial, Math Tutor

**Chapter Eleven: Denial**

_**-Lilly's POV-**_

"Lilly….Lilly….Lilly"

I opened my eyes and closed them again; the light from the nurse's office was blinding me. I shaded my eyes and opened them again. I saw Oliver and Lilly standing over me with concerned looks on their faces. I forced a smile.

"Hey guys, what's up?" I asked.

"Lilly, how could you ask us that?" Miley asked, I could tell that she was about to cry.

"That easy, but it would have been better if I asked what happened first" I joked.

"This isn't a joking matter Lils," Oliver said, shaking his head. "You passed out, and I think its because you haven't been eating"

At this, I sat up, outraged. How dare he think that I haven't been eating? All I've been doing was watching my weight to make sure I didn't gain anymore; And I was doing tit all for him! Man, that's gratefulness for you.

"I have been eating, I'm just trying to lose weight, remember, and I'm eating healthy!" I snapped, lowering my voice, seeing that the nurse was still there.

"Then how come you threw away your food that was in a napkin at lunch?" Oliver demanded.

"So what if I threw some away, its just extra food" I said, shrugging. "But I _am_ eating, you can ask my mom and dad, I just ate their meatloaf last night and it was good too"

"Lilly, do you know what you're doing?" Miley asked, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I do" I replied, looking her straight in the eye. "I'm trying to get in shape"

-

"I'm telling you Oliver, I'm fine, so stop worrying about me" I said as we walked home. '_Even though its awesome that you care_' I thought to myself with a small smile. "Let's talk about something else; we haven't talked in a long time"

"What do you want to talk about then?" he asked.

"I don't know, I was just wondering if you wanted to do something other than talk about me" I replied shrugging. "I don't know what to talk about either"

"Well then, why don't we just do math homework when we get to your house?" Oliver said. I made a face. Oliver laughed, I loved that laugh. "What, don't like math?"

"Try, I don't understand it" I replied, rolling my eyes.

"Then I'll help" Oliver replied and smiled at me, I couldn't help but smile back.

-

_**-Normal POV-**_

"So when you simplify the expression, it equals 2x to the third power over y to the sixth…get it?" Oliver asked, using the tip of his pencil to point at the equation on the paper. Lilly, who was sitting beside him on one of the dining room chairs just stared at the problem before looking back at him, "What?" He asked shifting uncomfortably in his seat,

"I just don't get how _you_ can understand all this and _I_ can't!" She said dramatically. A macho look emerged on Oliver's face as he gave her a smug smile,

"Obviously you and Miley don't give me enough credit…Smoken Oken isn't just good with the ladies," Lilly rolled her eyes and poked his arm with her sharp pencil tip, "Ow," He said as he moved away from her and her lethal pencil. Lilly looked down at her page for a second, her eyebrows bunching together in confusion before she gave up and looked at Oliver,

"Can you explain it again," She asked meekly. Oliver groaned before answering,

"Lilly, we've gone over this problem _five times_ already, maybe I'm not the right person to be teaching this to you," He stated as he started to get up, but was stopped when Lilly pulled on his arm to bring him back down,

"Please! Just one more time," She gave him a pleading look and mouthed the word please. She stuck out her bottom lip for added measure, knowing he couldn't say no to her famous puppy dog pout. He twisted his mouth to the side in thought before he sighed and sat back down,

"Ok, _one_ more time," He replied picking up his pencil. He started explaining the simplification processes of exponents to her, but everything he said blew right by her. She rested her head on her hand, which was being supported by her elbow and just stared at him. He looked so cute when he was deep in thought, bending over his paper, his hair falling over his eyes. She resisted the urge to push it back for him and instead choose to concentrate on what he was explaining. She tore her gaze from him and onto her paper as she tried to pay attention. He stopped talking and looked at her with an eyebrow raised,

"Get it now?" Lilly panicked when she realized that she had no idea what he had just said. She gave him a nod and, what she hoped was, a confident smile, "Ok…" He said skeptically, "Do number 3," Lilly looked down at her paper. The numbers seemed to blend together and swirl around on the page. After staring at her paper for what seemed like forever she threw her pencil down and sighed,

"I don't get it!" She cried and let her head fall down onto the table on her folded arms,

"Lilly!" Oliver cried, jumping up from his seat, "I just explained it to you, for the _sixth_ time now…how can you _not_ get it?"

"I was distracted," Lilly mumbled into her arms. A confused look appeared on Oliver's face and his eyebrows knitted together,

"Distracted? By what, I'm the only one here…" He trailed off, "Maybe we should take a break," Lilly nodded and lifted her head up,

"Sounds good…you hungry?" She asked as she headed over to the fridge,

"Like you have to ask…" He said, beating her to the fridge and opening it. He began pulling out different items and setting them onto the island in the middle of the kitchen. Lilly giggled as she watched him pull out item after item from her fridge,

"I asked if you were hungry, I didn't ask if you wanted to clear out my fridge," He smiled at her as he began to assemble his triple-decker sandwich. Lilly walked over to the other side of the counter and sat down on one of the stools, placing her elbows on the island and resting her head in her hands. She watched him concentrate as he put his sandwich together, his tongue poking out from his mouth slightly. Oliver felt eyes on him and he looked up to see Lilly staring at him again,

"What?" He asked. Lilly shrugged and blushed, looking at everything else in the kitchen but him,

"Nothing," She said quickly giving him an innocent smile before breaking away from his gaze and looking down at her now entwined hands. They remained in silence for a few minutes until Oliver finished his sandwich and presented it proudly to Lilly,

"And done!" He said as he started to gather up all the ingredients and stuff them in the fridge,

"Are you sure you're gonna finish that?" Lilly asked, eyeing the triple-decker sandwich that lay before her,

"The question is not whether I'm gonna finish it Lils," Oliver said as he picked up half of the sandwich in both of his hands and took a bite out of it, "It's whether you have enough food for me to make seconds," He finished with food in his mouth. Lilly rolled her eyes as she stood up to grab a can of soda from the fridge. She sat down on her stool again and sighed, tapping her fingers against the counter in boredom. Oliver looked around uncomfortably between bites of his sandwich, "So…" He started, "Where's Lilly again?"

"I told you Oliver, she's at the dentist's office. Something about a loose filling…" She trailed off and glanced at him before looking back down at her hands,

"Right…" He said, finishing off the last of his sandwich, "Ready to start again?" He asked pointing towards their abandoned papers, pencils and math books,

"As ready as I'll ever be…" She replied as she once again plopped down onto the dinning table seat she had been sitting on previously. Oliver sat down in the seat he had formerly occupied beside Lilly and watched her grab her worksheet while bringing it closer. He smiled as she stared down at her paper in obvious confusion. And even though he knew she didn't understand what she was supposed to do, she was stubborn enough to keep trying, at least until she couldn't take it anymore. It was one of the things he loved about her,

"Keep going," He encouraged her as soon as she wrote something down. She looked over at him and beamed. He was so confidant in her, even when she wasn't; he always pushed her to do her best. It was one of the things she loved about him,

"Done!" She said presenting the finished paper to him after seven minutes of silent working. He took it from her hands and placed it on the table in front of him, checking her answers to see if she had gotten them right. He looked up at her and smiled,

"It's all correct!" Lilly jumped out of her seat,

"Finally!" She stuffed her math homework into her folder and closed her math book, "If I had do another problem again, I'd scream!" Oliver laughed before checking his watch and standing up,

"I should probably go," He started cramming stuff into his backpack before throwing it over his shoulder. Lilly nodded and led him towards the door, "See you later, Lilly," He said turning to leave,

"Hey Oliver?" She asked before he could go,

"Yeah?"

"Thanks," She replied shyly biting her lip, "I don't know what I'd do without you," Lilly leaned up and gave Oliver a kiss on the cheek. They both turned red the minute she pulled away. Oliver cleared his throat awkwardly, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder,

"No problem," They stood there for a second, both looking at their feet, unsure of what to do next until Lilly broke the silence,

"You should probably go…" She said pointing behind him. He followed her gaze and nodded,

"Right…Bye," He said unsurely before walking out the door,

"Bye," Lilly moved forward to close the door, but Oliver quickly stopped her,

"Um…I forgot something," Oliver said opening the door wider so he could enter the house again. Lilly looked confused, she could've sworn he'd taken everything with him. Before she could ask however, Oliver bent down swiftly and planted a soft kiss on her lips. He pulled away just as fast as he had bent down and smiled uncertainly at her. Lilly didn't know what to say so she grinned up at him and pulled him closer for another kiss. Unfortunately they were interrupted by Lilly's cell phone. They jumped apart quickly as Lilly fumbled to answer her phone. She paused to look at the caller ID before rolling her eyes,

"Miley," She said holding up the phone for him to see. He chuckled,

"She always did have great timing," He said sarcastically and she laughed, "I'll see you at school," He bent down to steal one more quick kiss before hurrying out the door. Lilly sighed and stared after him before the ringing of her cell phone brought her down to Earth. She flipped it open,

"Hello…Oh hey Miley…Yea, you'll never guess what happened today…"


	12. Accident

**Chapter Twelve: Accident**

"Get back in the house" dad muttered, pushing the barrel of the pistol up to my forehead.

"So go ahead and kill me" I whispered, wincing through the pain. "It'll be better than suffering from your evil ways."

"What about your brothers?" dad asked. I stared up at him. "They've figured it out. So of course, I'm going to have to find a way to keep them quiet. Without you around, they'll be beaten. It's a lose/lose situation honey."

"Don't call me honey" I hissed, getting to my feet.

"Then get back to the house, Rose" dad growled, slapping me.

"Yes, sir" I muttered in reply, limping towards home. Dad followed, chuckling occasionally.

"I can't believe you thought I would ever let you leave" he said, a smile on his face.

"You're a bastard" I replied, wiping a line of blood away from my lip.

"Don't tell me you just figured that out" dad replied, putting a heavy arm across my shoulders. The stink of alcohol washed over me and made me feel sick.

The rest of the walk home was in silence. I nervously messed with the bracelets on my wrist. Dad opened the front door and I hurried up the stairs to my brother's room. I opened the door and winced at the blood on the floor.

Tears came to my eyes when I saw the bruises that were swelling on their bodies. I limped over to them and gently lifted them into my arms.

I headed towards the bathroom, ignoring all of the pain in my body. I put the bath plug in the drain and ran the bath tub water. I gently placed Leon and Liam onto the tiled floor and planted a kiss on their foreheads.

When the bath tub was half full, I undressed Leon and placed him in the bath tub to clean his wounds. His head tilted forward on his neck.

"I'm so sorry guys" I whispered, as I started to wash Leon. "I didn't mean for you guys to find out this way. I've kept this a secret for so long."

I froze when there was a knock on the bathroom door. I swallowed thickly and turned to face it. "Who is it?" I called.

"It's your mother" I heard mom reply. I let out a sigh of relief. Mom opened the door and came into the room. She brushed Liam's hair away from his face and gave him a sad smile.

"I'm so sorry about all of this" mom said quietly. "It's my fault."

"It's not your fault, mom" I replied.

"Yes, it is" mom replied, shaking her head. "I've been a bad wife to your father. At least that's what he says. I know I've been a great mom to you guys though. Your father only hits you when he can't get to me. That's why I go out of town a lot."

"Why not take us with you?" I demanded, suddenly becoming angry. I turned back to Leon, examining a cut on his arm before washing it. "Why leave us here with him?"

"I know, I know" mom said quietly as she handed me a towel. I snatched it away from her, my jaw set. "I know you're really mad. And I don't blame you."

"You don't know how mad I am" I muttered in reply, wrapping the towel around Leon and lifting him out of the tub.

"I know that" mom said quietly. "That's why I've been out looking at houses."

"What do you mean?" I asked as I handed Leon to mom and began undressing Liam.

"I've been wanting to leave your father for a while now" mom admitted as I gently put Liam in the bath tub. "All those times I left saying I was out of town for a meeting. . .I've been looking for houses."

"Meaning?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"I'm leaving your father" mom blurted out. "And before you say anything, I'm taking you and the boys with me. We won't survive if we stay with your father any longer."

"But, what about my friends?" I asked with a heavy sigh. I was surprised to find myself thinking about Blake. I would definitely miss his smile and the way his eyes shined merrily.

"You'll still get to see them" mom reassured. "I found a house about 4 miles from here. You can take the bus to school. But, we won't tell your father we're leaving."

"You do know that leaving will probably be the hardest thing for us to do?" I asked, gently running a wash cloth over Liam's scratched face.

"Yes, but I'm willing to leave him and his horrible ways" mom replied, giving me a serious look. I gently touched the wound on the back of my neck and looked a my brothers.

"I'm willing and able" I replied with a nod.

-

_Clink!_

_I blinked opened my eyes at the sound, fully aware that something hit my window. I lay in my bed for a little bit, thinking it was all a dream. Just as I was going back to sleep I heard it again._

_Clink!_

_I got out of bed and headed to my window. I pushed the curtains aside and looked outside. When I saw who it was, I immediately pushed open the windows and walked out onto the small balcony._

"_What are you doing here?" I hissed._

"_I came to see you. We need to talk" Blake replied, stepping into the moonlight._

"_Be quiet, I don't want dad to wake up. . .or my neighbors" I replied, rolling my eyes. "Is it really, really important?"_

"_Yes, it is" Blake replied. I sighed heavily._

"_Come on up" I replied, motioning to the drainpipe. _

_I walked back into my room and sat down on my bed, leaning back against the pillows. Moments later, Blake climbed over the balcony railing and into my bedroom._ _I looked him over. "Something's bothering you."_

"_Yes, there is" Blake said quietly. "But, it's hard for me to explain."_

_I got up off the bed and rushed to the door. I quietly locked the door and turned back to Blake. He was sitting on the bed, staring at his hands. I looked at how his body was hunched over and my stomach dropped. I kneeled on the floor in front of him, looking up into his eyes._

"_You're scaring me. Just, tell me what's wrong" I said quietly._

"_You are" Blake said quietly. I blinked in surprise. "But, it's no a bad thing. I like it."_

"_What do you mean?" I asked quietly._

"_We've been friends. . .best friends for as long as I can remember. Haven't you. . .I mean, I've been feeling all these emotions for you ever since we met" Blake said slowly. "I always want to be with you and I always want to be the one that can make you happy when you're sad and I always want to protect you. I guess what I'm trying to say is-"_

_I cut him off by placing a finger to his lips. He stared at me with his green eyes. They had a confused look to them. I lowered my finger and got to my feet. I stood up and turned my back to him, deep in thought. I heard him let out a soft groan. My bed creaked as he leaned back._

"_Look, if you don't feel the same way-"_

"_I never said that" I replied, turning around and sitting down next to him. _

_Blake sat up and pressed his lips to mine. He broke the kiss and look at me, breathing out of his nose. I firmly pushed him back and climbed on top of him, giving him a kiss in return. He smiled and wrapped his arms around my waist. I unbuttoned his shirt and traced my fingers around his abs. I smiled as he moaned into my mouth. . ._

"_ROSE_"

I opened one eye and looked up at my mom as she shook me. "Wazzamatter?" I asked in mid yawn. I looked over at my clock and groaned when it said 2:45 in bright red letters. "Whyareyouwakingmeupsoearly?"

"It's not early" mom replied. I sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake.

"It's two fourty-five in the _afternoon_?" I demanded. Mom nodded. "_Why'd you let me sleep in_?"

"Sssssshhhh" mom hissed, putting a finger to her lips. "Be quiet. Your father is out running errands. We're leaving. Grab your backpack and fill it with about a week of clothes and any other things you need."

"All right" I replied with a nod, seeing how serious she was.

Mom left my room and I rushed around, grabbing clothes and shoved them into my backpack. I grabbed my pictures of Leon, Liam, Blake, and Sasha and put them in my back pack too. I took one last look at my bedroom before turning off the light and heading down the stairs.

"Are we going on a trip, mommy?" Leon asked as mom headed down the stairs, carrying his and Liam's suitcases.

"Yes, sweetie, we're going on a little vacation" mom replied as she ushered us out the front door. I took Leon and Liam's hands and walked with them to the car. The trunk was already open and I could see some of my mom's and my own suitcases in there.

"What about daddy?" Liam asked as he opened the car door.

"He'll meet up with us soon, don't worry" I replied quietly, getting into the car. Leon and Liam got inside and I helped mom get them into their booster seats.

"Where are we going?" Leon asked, kicking his feet.

"Leon, Liam, mommy needs to concentrate on driving. Could you please be quiet?" mom asked, as she pulled out of the driveway.

"Ok" the twins said in unison, happily kicking their feet back and forth.

I felt uneasy about all of this. I bit my thumbnail, trying to knock out the nauseas feeling in my stomach. This was a really bad idea, but I really couldn't put my finger on why.

I turned around in my seat when someone in the car behind us, held out the car horn. I tried to make out who was in the car but there were too many shadows. The car itself looked so familiar though.

"Who is that mom?" I asked as we stopped at a red light.

"I don't know, Rose" mom replied. The car pulled up beside ours and rolled down the window. Eyebrows furrowed, mom did too. I gasped once I saw who it was.

"Don't think I don't know what's going on?" dad yelled at mom. "I heard you tell those brats that you were going to leave me."

Mom's knuckles turned white, she was gripping the steering wheel so hard. Mom bit her lip then stomped hard on the gas pedal. The car shot forward, barely avoiding a car that was crossing the intersection. Dad took off after us.

"Mommy! Mommy, what's going on?" Liam asked. He and Leon were holding hands, scared tears sliding down their faces.

"Everything will be all right" mom called back to us. My heart skipped a beat as the back of our car was hit. Mom swerved the car back into her lane.

Dad sped up and pulled up beside our car. He furiously twisted the steering wheel to the right and slammed into the side of our car. The side window busted through mom's side, spraying her with glass.

A scream ripped out of my throat as I tightly gripped onto the seat in front of me. Dad slammed into our car again, busting out he back window, glass spraying over Leon, Liam, and me.

"Mom, stay on the road!" I shrieked as mom twisted the steering wheel back and forth.

"I'm trying" she yelled back. My head slammed against my window as the car was hit on the side again. Over the squealing of tires, screams from Leon and Liam and blaring of horns, I could hear dad's laughter.

Our car was hit once again and trees flashed before my eyes as we spun out of control. I felt he car lurch once and then I felt it slam to a stop. I heard the sickening sound of crunching glass and metal. I squeezed my eyes shut until I felt the car stop fully.

"Open your eyes on the count of three" I whispered, breathing deeply. "One. . .two. . .three."

I forced my eyes open and gasped once I saw the smoke obstructing my vision. Coughing, I unbuckled myself and forced open the car door. I rolled out onto the cool earth, trying to catch my breath.

"Oh my god" I whispered, looking back at the car. The car was wrapped around a tree, its windows punched out, the car filling with smoke that billowed out from underneath the hood. "Mom, Liam, Leon!"

I could hear sirens in the distance as I rushed back towards the car. I could hear someone coughing, but I wasn't sure who. I leaned into the car window, the heat from the smoke, burning my eyes.

"Rosie! Rosie where are you?" I heard Liam's whimper.

"Hold on, guys. I'm right here" I replied loudly, reaching out for them. I grabbed onto one of their hands and squeezed it.

"Ow, Rosie it hurts" Leon cried. "Rosie, help."

"I'm trying, I'm trying" I replied, coughing as I tried to blindly unbuckle their booster seats. "Just hold on. I'll get you out."

"Help. Rosie, help, _please_."

I felt arms wrap around my waist and pull me out of the burning car. Liam and Leon's screams followed me as I was pulled back. I desperately tried to catch my breath. Coughing hard, I was lead over to an ambulance, despite my attempts to break free from the person's grasp.

"No, no! I need to go back" I cried and doubled over in a coughing fit.

"We need to get you to the hospital to check on your lungs, miss" a paramedic said as he lifted me into the ambulance.

"No" I replied. "My brothers. I need to get my brothers."

But, no one listened to me. I was put into the back of the ambulance. The doors were slammed shut and the ambulance pulled away. I bowed my head, tears falling down my cheeks as Liam and Leon's cries of help repeated over and over in my mind. . .


	13. Panic

**Chapter Thirteen**

The sun painted the sky with a magnificent twilight color in the end of a sultry afternoon, in the park, a few days later. Sitting on benches or under trees, two friends waited patiently for their remaining companion. An eerie silence was in the air, which was only helping to get them more anxious. A single bird's cry echoed throughout the place, not really helping their situation. Soon, the low sound of footsteps reached their ears, making them feel even more apprehensive. It could be anyone, but it could also be 'him'.

"Look." Oliver said in a weak tone, as if he was expecting something bad to come. They all looked to where he had pointed at. Lilly was standing there with a serious, yet full of guilt, face. The wind blew weakly in her direction, making her bangs and part of his hair fly a little, along with the pages of the small journal she was carrying. The breeze seemed to carry her friends' emotions along, blowing them at her. She slowly started to walk again, and finally stopped when she was close enough to speak.

"Thanks for coming. This is really important to me." Lilly said in a low tone. She sounded very sad and without energy.

"I see you brought your little Food Journal!" Oliver said, smirking. Lilly seemed nervous after what he said.

"Food Journal?" Miley asked in confusion.

"Oliver, Miley, listen," Lilly said, and coughed, her vision was getting a little blurry.

"Lilly, are you okay? Are you still with that cold you got a few days ago?" Miley asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Now, listen to me…" She coughed again. "Damn, I'm feeling so weird…" Lilly put a hand on her forehead and seemed like he was going to fall.

"Oh, this can't be good…" Oliver said. "Lilly?" he grabbed her arm as she was about to fall.

"You all… knew after all, about my…" Lilly trailed off and coughed again. She had a big headache and was losing consciousness.

"Oh no! Miley, hurry and call and ambulance!" Oliver cried as Lilly sank to the ground, still in his arms.

Miley nodded and whipped out her cell phone. "Hello? Yes, could you please hurry, my friend fainted. I think she's anorexic"


	14. Rose Truscott: Moving On

**A/N:**** Sorry for the looooooooong wait. I was so busy with school, friends, family, and other stories. But now, I will focus more on this story so you don't have to wait long for updates. For those of you who are still reading this story, thanks for the support.**

**

* * *

b**

**Chapter Fourteen: Moving On**

_How to cut a long story short?_

_Well, maybe I don't want to cut it short. God, I'd rather keep it hidden - it's 'average family' story. Sure, my happy family was a part of it, but there's also hate, depression, self-mutilation, abuse, and death._

_Sure you wanna continue?_

It's been, what?

Days?

Weeks?

Months?

Years?

I don't know, it seemed to have blended together. Turns out that I inhaled a lot of smoke and I had a broken leg. Funny, I didn't feel the pain the time of the accident.

The accident.

I remember it like it was just yesterday. My mom, my brothers and I were trying to leave my dad. Trying is the key word here. We were going to move into a new house and start a new life there. But, our dad found out and ran us off the road.

The only thing I remember from the crash is fire, smoke, and my brother's screams for help. My brothers. . .

I've been in the hospital for weeks and I haven't heard news about them, or my mom. Even so, I bet they're dead. None of the doctors tell me anything. They just run their usual routine with me, check my lungs, physical therapy and the usual, 'How are you feeling today?' I'm sick of it all. I want to leave. I want to be somewhere safe and be with someone who loves me.

Sighing, I looked around my hospital room. It's too white, I think. There's nothing really here. I spotted a piece of paper on my IV box. That wasn't there before. Picking it up, I saw that it had my name on it. I flipped it open and started to read.

_Rose-_

_We came a couple of times while you were here, but every time we visited you were asleep. Trying to block out everything that's happened to you. So, we heard about the car crash (obviously) and we're really worried about you. School isn't the same without you here._

_To answer your question, no, we haven't seen your mom or your brothers and we know why. We were looking through the newspaper the other day and it says in the obituaries that they're dead. We're so sorry Rose. It came as a shock to us. We're crying right now as we right this letter to you._

_Just know that we've been visiting you almost every other day and we're keeping you in our prayers. We don't know where your dad is, he's disappeared. But, as soon as you get out of the hospital, you're welcome to stay with one of us._

_Love, Blake and Sasha_

"So they are dead" I whispered, silently crying.

After all I've done for them, I couldn't even say goodbye to them. Life is so unfair. People aren't fair. Why does my life have to be such a living hell?

"_Rosie! Rosie where are you?" I heard Liam's whimper._

"_Hold on, guys. I'm right here" I replied loudly, reaching out for them. I grabbed onto one of their hands and squeezed it._

"_Ow, Rosie it hurts" Leon cried. "Rosie, help."_

"_I'm trying, I'm trying" I replied, coughing as I tried to blindly unbuckle their booster seats. "Just hold on. I'll get you out."_

"_Help. Rosie, help, __please__."_

_I felt arms wrap around my waist and pull me out of the burning car. Liam and Leon's screams followed me as I was pulled back. I desperately tried to catch my breath. Coughing hard, I was lead over to an ambulance, despite my attempts to break free from the person's grasp._

"_No, no! I need to go back" I cried and doubled over in a coughing fit._

"_We need to get you to the hospital to check on your lungs, miss" a paramedic said as he lifted me into the ambulance._

"_No" I replied. "My brothers. I need to get my brothers."_

_But, no one listened to me. I was put into the back of the ambulance. The doors were slammed shut and the ambulance pulled away. I bowed my head, tears falling down my cheeks as Liam and Leon's cries of help repeated over and over in my mind_

I folded the letter and stared hard at it. Then, letting out an angry sigh, I slashed my arm with it. My cut stung a little bit, but it also made me feel better. I watched the blood ooze from my arm and hastily blotted it with a tissue.

I looked up as I heard a knock on the door. "Come in" I called, sinking back in my pillows. The door slowly opened and Sasha and Blake leaned their heads in.

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello" they sang. "Hello." I laughed weakly and rolled my eyes,

"Hey, guys" I said quietly.

"Did you get our note?" Blake asked as the two of them sat down on opposite sides of my bed.

"Yeah" I replied quietly.

"We're _really_ sorry Rose" Sasha whispered. "Your dad, he's been sent to jail for several years."

"But, this letter says-" Blake and Sasha exchanged glances. "What?"

"Rose, we gave you this letter almost a year ago" Blake said slowly.

"What do you mean?" I asked quietly.

"When we said that every time we came you were asleep, we didn't want to tell you that you've been in a coma" Sasha replied. "You woke up about two days ago. That's why you don't really remember anything."

"You're serious?" I asked, swallowing thickly.

"Yes" Blake and Sasha replied in unison, nodding.

"No" I said, shaking my head. "The accident just happened a couple of days ago."

"Try months ago" Sasha replied. "You hit your head really hard in the accident. You had blood gushing down your face. It's the year 2008, Rose."

"No" I repeated, continuing to shake my head. "No, no, no."

"Look, if the crash only happened a couple of days ago, you'd still have your cast on" Blake said, pulling my bed sheet aside. I have to admit, that thought never crossed my mind.

"You've been going through physical therapy without your knowing for a long, _long_ time now" Sasha added. "It's about five months until summer break. We'll then be going into high school."

"Unbelievable" I whispered.

"Yeah" Blake said with a nod.

"On the plus side, you're getting out of the hospital today" Sasha said with a weak attempt at a smile.

"Yeah, with no family to go to" I whispered.

"I beg to differ."

Blake, Sasha, and I looked up and saw my dad walk into the room. "Aren't you supposed to be in jail for several years?" I asked in a shaky voice. Blake and Sasha exchanged glances.

"Well, I've been in jail for a year and a couple of months" dad replied, shrugging. "I got out on good behavior, plus, my therapist thinks I'm all better." He let out a small laugh. Blake, Sasha and I exchanged glances.

"So, I signed you out, we can leave now" dad replied.

"We're going back home?" I asked quietly.

"Um, no" dad replied nervously. "I want to leave all of the bad memories behind us. With mom and your brothers being dead, I thought it would be easier for the both of us if we left. Remember that house we stayed in, in Malibu on our vacation?"

"Yes" I replied slowly.

"Well, I decided to buy it" dad replied. "We're moving to Malibu."

"What?" Blake, Sasha, and I nearly yelled in unison.

"We're moving" dad replied. "As soon as we get home, we're going to pack out stuff and then drive to Malibu."

"Dad, we can't leave" I said, shaking my head. "My whole life is here!"

"I'm sorry sweetie, but I think this is best for us" dad whispered.

That did it. Those worse pierced my heart like a knife. I felt my heart drop. I tried not to start crying. But when I closed my eyes, salty tears leaked out, tumbling down my cheeks in a silent cascade. I indulged in a good sniff and wiped my eyes on my sleeve. I was hit with a terrifying realization.

My life was slowly heading downhill towards hell.

* * *

Hey.

So a lot has happened to me ever since the accident. To me, it still feels like it just happened yesterday. I will never forget my brother's screams of fear and pain.

So, I moved to Florida, found out that I have a twin sister named Lilly Truscott, went through a self-mutilation phase, forgotten all about Blake and Sasha, and fell in love with a student at my new school Seaview. Then, my dad got back into his abuse kick. I ran away from home and lived in the park, stealing to survive. My dad found me, took me home, beat me, and I was put in the hospital once again. Dad was put on trial and found guilty. I could have stayed with my twin and her dad and mom or I could go to the orphanage. I chose the orphanage. Don't ask me why.

All of that is a different story. It happened a couple months ago. Now it's the summer and next year I'll be a Freshman in high school. Only problem is, I'm the oldest kid here in the orphanage. Don't get me wrong, I love all of the kids here, they're adorable, but I don't have anyone to talk to about teenage stuff.

To top it all off, I have to meet with a therapist every Wednesday, every week so I can stop having suicidal thoughts. Plus, I'm on suicide watch. How fun is that? Geez, I never knew how much you had to be watched once you start thinking you want to die.

Lots of people ask me about my family and how I came to end up in this orphanage. At first I didn't feel like telling the story, it would be too long and it would upset some of the younger kids. But, some of them have gone through some of the same things I have. Either way, a lot of us orphans here, had to grow up too fast.

Well, I gotta go. By the way, I'm now sixteen years old.

Peace-out

Rosealyn 'Rose' Truscott

_I set my diary aside and sighed heavily, resting my chin in my hands. I sat on my cot, looking around at the other kids as they played with each other. Some of the kids caught my eye, smile, and waved. I gave a small smile and waved back._

"_Rose, there's someone to see you" one of the lady that works there, Heather, said as she walked up to me._

"_Is it my sister or her friends?" I asked, getting to my feet._

"_No" Heather replied simply. "They're waiting in the lobby."_

"_Thanks" I said stretching my arms over my head. I walked in between the rows and rows of cots and headed to the lobby of the orphanage. I opened the door and stepped outside, freezing in my tracks._

_Two boys were sitting in the chairs, their hands folded in their laps, kicking their legs back and forth, their eyes on their laps. From where I was standing, I could see overgrown pure white hair and dimples occasionally appeared in their cheeks as pressed their lips together or swallowed._

_One of them lifted their heads and look at me, nudging the other boy. Then the other one looked at me too. In that instant, I saw the two boys' who's screams have haunted me for years. I didn't think I'd ever see their smiles or hear their voices again. But, here they are._

"_Hey, Rosie" they said quietly._


	15. Chapter 15: Lilly Truscott: Moving On

**Chapter Fifteen: Moving On**

"Hey, mom?" Oliver asked quietly. He was at home, sitting in the kitchen. He couldn't go to the hospital. He didn't want to see Lilly like that/

"Hmm?" Mrs. Oaken asked, looking up from her newspaper.

"What would you do if someone was in trouble?" Oliver asked. "You knew about it, but didn't tell anyone."

"It depends on the trouble, I guess" Mrs. Oaken replied. "What kind of trouble are we talking about?"

"Eating disorder" Oliver whispered. Mrs. Oaken, slowly turned to look at her son.

"You mean like anorexia and bulimia?" she asked. Oliver nodded in reply.

"Well, I would grab the person by the shoulders and shake some strength into them" Mrs. Oaken replied, setting the newspaper aside. "The person probably had a good reason to start, but I'd find a better reason so they can quit. Why? You aren't doing this, are you?"

"No," Oliver replied, shaking his head. "I just wanted to make sure." Mrs. Oaken let out a breath and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Don't scare me like that" she said in a quiet voice.

"Sorry, mom" Oliver replied.

Oliver felt a pinch behind his eyes. He knew he was about to cry.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Mrs. Oaken asked, turning to face him.

"It's nothing" Oliver mumbled.

"'It's nothing'" Mrs. Oaken repeated. "If you're acting this way, it's not nothing. What's wrong?" Oliver let out a heavy sigh.

"It's Lilly" he replied.

"What's wrong?" Mrs. Oaken asked. She knew that her son and Lilly have been good friends for years. Maybe more.

"She's . . . hurting" Oliver replied slowly.

"Hurting how? Like cramps? Cuz girls all go through that. It's perfectly natural for girls to get cramps when they have their – "

"Mom" Oliver interrupted, holding up a hand. "She's, kind of, hurting herself."

"Hurting how?" Mrs. Oaken asked. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at her son. "She's the one with the eating disorder." Oliver slowly nodded and started to cry,

"She hasn't been eating for a while" Oliver sobbed. "I tried to tell her that she wasn't fat and that eating was good for her, but she wouldn't listen to me. She was going to admit it to Miley and me when she collapsed. She's in the hospital right now."

"Come on, Oliver" Mrs. Oaken said getting to her feet. "We're going to go visit your friend."

"I can't mom" Oliver whispered, shaking his head. "I can't see her like that."

"Oliver, she needs you, and you need her" Mrs. Oaken said gently. Silently, Oliver followed his mom to the car.

* * *

Lilly lay in her hospital bed, sighing occasionally. Her parents sat by her side, worried looks on her face. Lilly sadly shook her head. She hated seeing her parents like this.

"Care to explain this?" her dad asked in a small voice.

"I…I uh…"

"How could you do this to yourself?" her mom interrupted her daughter's stammering. "How could you hurt yourself like this?"

"Mom, dad–"Lilly tried to explain, but fell silent..

"I thought you were happy" her dad said in a sad tone.

"I am happy, dad, believe me" Lilly said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I'm a teenager. I make mistakes. This was just…one of them."

"Don't blame your age on this" her mom said quietly.

"I want you to stop" her dad said in a soft voice.

"I can't" Lilly whispered, tears starting to slide down her cheeks.

"Why not, Lils?"

"Because you don't have my life!" Lilly shouted. "You aren't constantly compared to other girls in your class! You don't have to worry about if girls think your skinny, or fat, or _cool_ for that matter!"

"So you're telling me that the only reason you're starving yourself…is because you think it'll make you cool?" her dad questioned.

"That's not the only reason" Lilly grumbled.

"Then what's the other one?" her mom demanded

"Because I'm fat" Lilly whispered.

"Lilly, no you're not" her dad said shaking his head. "Other people made you believe you were, but you're not. You're skinny and beautiful."

"You're lying" Lilly muttered,

"No, we're not, sweetie" her mom replied. "You _are _beautiful. You're the right size for an athletic girl like yourself."

"Don't ever starve yourself again" her dad added.

"I can't stop dad. It's too addicting and–"

"Then I'll get you help."

"I'll help you too." Turning towards the door, Lilly, her mom, and dad saw Miley and Oliver heading into the room.

"We'll help you get through this" Oliver said, taking Lilly's hand in his and giving a small smile.

* * *

"_WHAT!? YOU'RE GOING INTO REHAB!?"_

_I winced at my friends' shouting as I lifted my backpack off the ground. Miley and Oliver exchanged glances.._

"_Yeah, I have . . . a life threatening problem and my parents thinks the only way I can get help is if I leave and go into rehab for a while" I replied wit ha heavy sigh.'_

"_How come you didn't tell us?" Oliver asked with hurt evident in his voice._

"_I didn't want to worry you. And it was my choice anyway" I whispered in reply._

"_I wish you told us your problem earlier" Miley said, tears sliding down her cheeks._

"_I wish I did too" I replied, giving a soft smile._

"_When will you be back?" Oliver asked staring at his feet._

"_I have no idea" I replied with a shrug. "Getting over an eating disorder could take a while."_

"_Keep in touch, Lilly" Miley said as she stepped forward and hugged me_

"_Definitely" I replied with a nod._

"_Lilly, we have to go now."_

"_Coming in a sec!" I called back. "Well, I guess this is it."_

"_Yeah" Oliver and Miley replied._

"_Bye" I said giving an awkward wave._

"_Bye" Miley replied giving me another hug._

"_Um, I'm going to miss you" Oliver stated._

"_I'm going to miss you too, Oliver" I replied with a small smile. '_Tell him now, Lilly, or you won't get the chance ever again_' _

_I thought letting out a small sigh Oliver walked forward hesitantly, but wrapped his arms around my waist in a hug. He rested his forehead on my shoulder. I smiled and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. Oliver let go and backed up a step._

"_Don't forget us, Lilly. Miley and I chipped in to get you this" Oliver said as he held up his hand. I opened my hand and he dropped a necklace into it. _

"_Open it" Miley said with a small smile. I nodded and opened the heart locket at the end. I started laughing when I saw the picture inside. It was of Oliver, Miley, and I at the fair, with our faces painted like tigers._

"_You didn't have to do that" I said, still laughing.._

"_Of course we did" Miley said, laughing. "You're our best friend." I turned and looked at Oliver._

"_Are we?" I asked him._

"_Of course" Oliver replied. I sucked in a deep breath._

"_Nothing more?"_

_Oliver looked at through his bangs and gave a small smile. I smiled a little before stepping forward and moving my mouth over his in a sweet kiss. Oliver smiled into the kiss, removed his hands from his pockets and placed them on my waist as he kissed me back._

"_I've really got to go" I whispered, as I broke the kiss and backed up. I gave Miley and Oliver a small wave and got into my car. I was definitely going to miss them._

_Wiping away a stray tear, Oliver put his arm around Miley's shoulders as the two waved as Lilly's car got smaller and smaller. The car disappeared around the corner. Miley and Oliver stood there in silence._

"_She'll be back" Miley said quietly, dropping her arm._

"_I know" Oliver replied with a smile. "And it'll be the best day of my life when she gets back."_

_Turning around Miley and Oliver headed back to their home._

_**THE END**_


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